Before the Storm
by jackthepumpkin777
Summary: Amu is forced to leave Ikuto after he loses his memory from surgery. Having no choice, she leaves, unaware that she's already carrying his baby. What would happen if they meet again 5 years later and Ikuto notices this woman's son looks a lot like him?
1. Seiyo

**Summary: **Amu is forced to leave Ikuto after losing his memory from surgery. Having no choice, she leaves, unaware that she's already carrying his baby. What would happen if they meet again 5 years later and Ikuto notices this woman's son looks a lot like him?

**This is based off of the Taiwanese drama, Autumn's Concerto! **  
**  
Chapter 1**

The silence was deafening.

The empty back streets of the small village of Seiyo bore no sound. Shutters of windows hung on their hinges, dangling over the concrete below that blistered under the dry heat of the sun. Despite the crumbling buildings with ripped curtains, broken-in doors, and abandoned crates scattered across the streets at random, this side of Seiyo was deserted.

It's not like the East of the village was a city's underbelly. There were just such few people living there that no one needed to fix up those buildings, which is why they stayed in such terrible shape. But it wasn't even scary to walk down those streets. Unlike what you would imagine normal back roads to be like.

Amongst the buildings was an elementary school. Rather, the only elementary school in Seiyo. With the red brick walls and posters displayed on the fence that wrapped around the school grounds, it brought color to the neighborhood.

A small boy in kindergarten sat at the top of the slide in the school's playground, blowing bubbles and giggling whenever he either touched one, or one popped. His honey-colored eyes were wide as he watched a large bubble float gracefully away from him, being caught up in whatever breeze there was on this hot September day.

He smiled a toothy grin once seeing a certain blue-haired girl from his class walking towards him, a hop in her walk that made her dress sway. She hated wearing dresses, but her parents either loved torturing her or just thought it was too cute to resist dressing her in one of the especially frilly ones. The boy couldn't help but blush whenever she was around.

"Hey, Yoru!" The girl greeted with a hint of pink coloring her cheeks. She stopped at the foot of the slide and looked up at him.

Yoru waved back at her. "Hi, Miki. I thought you went home already."

Miki shook her head as she walked over to the ladder attached to the play equipment, climbing up it towards the blue-haired boy. On the first day of kindergarten they had noticed that both of them were outsiders – outsiders with blue hair. It was the blue hair that made them decide to be best buds. "No. Dad was suppose to come get me but first my sister's lame cheer leading thingy had to end." she explained.

Yoru nodded in understanding. He, too, was suppose to be at home already. Whoever was picking him up was late. As per usual. Which is why he decided to take bubbles to school so he could play with them while he waited.

The little boy turned around to face Miki as she sat down by the slide. "Criss-cross... apple.. sauce." Yoru said under his breath, his voice strained as he moved his legs to sit the way his teacher always instructed him to.

"Hey, peathanth! Get out of my kingdom!" An obnoxious boy with a lisp bellowed from the pebbles below. He meant to say 'peasants' but everyone was used to his way of speaking by now. Well, except Yoru, which was probably why this 'king' liked to bully him so much.

Yoru gripped the bars lining the platform he was on, making him feel like he was in jail. He peered down at the ground below and spotted the boy in grade 1 who attempted to be intimidating. Since he was a year older, he was in charge. He also liked to boss younger kids around.

"It's the king." Yoru whispered to Miki with an amused smirk.

The 'king', Kiseki, smirked triumphantly up at the smaller children and placed his hands on his hips in hopes of appearing even scarier. "Ath king, I have to thay that you can't be blowing bubbleth on my property! Ith unthanitary!"

"What did he say?" Yoru asked while turning to the girl he fancied so much.

"I think something about he's not letting you blow bubbles on his property." Miki then rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at the older boy. When around Yoru, she was always chipper and happy, but when an outsider invaded her personal bubble – like now – she became sarcastic and cold.

The two friends giggled with each other while holding their hands over their mouths so Kiseki wouldn't hear them. "What a cheese-ball!" Yoru commented.

"What did you thay, Hinamori?" Kiseki bellowed at the blue-haired boy before stomping across the playground towards the ladder, "you're gonna get yourth!" he reached down and grabbed a handful of pebbles, getting ready to throw them with all his might.

That was the perfect moment for Yoru's savior to arrive. "Hey guys! … What are you doing with those rocks...?" The blond man asked with a slight chuckle and a scratch to the back of the head as he grew closer to the three kids.

In an instant, the pebbles were dropped from Kiseki's hand. He glared up at the two blue-heads. "I'll get my revenge." he stated before turning on his heel, pointing his chin in the air, and stomping away proudly.

"Uncle Tadase!" Yoru greeted, waving as he slid down the slide with the container of bubbles in his grip.

"Hello, little ones." Tadase replied before flashing his prince-like smile over to Miki, who rolled her eyes. She hated prince-wannabes. Even though all the grown up women in Seiyo found Tadase to be the dreamiest man around, with his ruby red eyes and swoopy blond hair, Miki didn't see the appeal at all. Then again, she was only four.

"Your mom had to visit with Mayor Tsukasa-san and discuss some grown-up stuff. So, I'll take you home, okay?" Tadase said to Yoru, first needing to get his permission if he felt safe enough to go with him.

"Okay." The boy replied with a nod. He waved goodbye to Miki and held onto Tadase's hand on the way across the empty parking lot, to the freshly washed car waiting for him to climb into and leave muddy footprints all over.

Once getting buckled in his seat, Yoru gazed out the window at the trees, flowers, and animals passing by as Tadase drove to the outskirts of the village, where the Hinamori residence was. Yoru always enjoyed the drive home. It was seeing the cows along the way that he favored. Other than cats, cows were his favorite animal.

They were just so... weird looking.

As soon as the car stopped in front of the small cottage known as home to Yoru, he jumped out of his seat and stumbled into his grassy front yard where his mom was just exiting the front door.

"Mommy!" He exclaimed with open arms before hugging his mom as tightly as he possibly could. Just inhaling her familiar scent was capable of flipping a bad day completely around.

Amu smiled down at her son before planting a kiss on the top of his head. "Did you have fun at school?"

"Yep! We had a dad come in and talk about his job." Yoru announced, then giggled before continuing, "he was bald!"

"Bald?" Amu repeated, trying to sound astonished just to make Yoru cheerful, "Well that's something you don't see everyday!" she commented.

After finishing his long story about everything that had happened that school day, down to what Miki ate for lunch, Yoru hopped into the house to wash up for dinner while Tadase stayed outside to talk with Amu.

The blond was hesitant, not knowing how to bring up the touchy subject of Yoru's dad. Once Amu found out she was pregnant, she was already living back in Seiyo – the place she grew up in. Tadase figured it'd be best for her to move back in order to get away from everything. But everyone, including Amu, knew that a boy needed his father. Especially since he was constantly reminded that he didn't have one whenever 'Career Day' came around. Yoru had to sit and watch other people's fathers talk about their lives, everyone's dad except his.

"Do you think he'll ever get to meet his dad?" Tadase asked slowly, watching Amu start watering the plants that outlined the front yard. "I mean, you have the power to make his dream come true! You know very well that Tsukiyomi is alive and well."

Exhaling, the pink-haired girl turned around to look at her friend. "I know, Tadase-kun. But, it's been five years since the last time I saw him. He hasn't come looking for me for a good reason." she replied, "It was me who chose to leave him, remember? At the time he most needed me... I betrayed his trust."

"But everything you did was to save him-"

"That person has already disappeared from my life." Amu stated softly while putting down the watering can and wiping off the droplets of water from her hands. "But he gave me Yoru. God blessed me with giving birth to such an amazing little boy... and we've been fine for this long, we can survive a whole lot longer without that man."

The sudden noise of the toilet flushing inside the house made Amu realize just how dramatic this conversation was getting and that Yoru would be wanting to eat soon. "Ah, it's getting late. You should get home before it's too dark. I don't want to see your mom chasing you around the village with a spatula again for being late to dinner."

Tadase smiled softly and nodded. "Alright, Amu-chan. Goodnight."

Amu smiled back at him and turned on her heel, slipping off her shoes as she opened the front door to her small house, a warm rush of light washing over her. She stopped in her place once Tadase spoke again. But after hearing his question, she didn't know if she even wanted to turn around to look him in the eye. He would know if she was lying.

"Are you _really_ over Tsukiyomi?"

-  
**Author's note: Okay, so I was just rough-drafting this story. So, yeah I know this is a terrible first chapter and very poorly written, but it WILL get better! Don't know if I should continue though... sighhhh...**


	2. The Visitor

**Hey guys! So just to let you know, this story will soon be re-named to 'Before the Storm'**

I don't own!

_**Flashback**_

_"Ikuto won't agree to the operation. He claims that he's fine and even if he only has a few months left to live, he'd rather live them to be with you. Even if it means dying." A burly man stated from behind his large desk. He sat with his elbows on the surface of the desk, hands folded underneath his chin. "Clearly this is a problem. I need someone to keep the business going and I'm not willing to risk having a dead step-son."_

Amu quietly gazed down at her intertwined fingers resting in her lap. She didn't want Ikuto to die. If having surgery meant there would be a higher chance of him surviving, she'd definitely try to get him to choose that option, especially since the only reason he doesn't want to is because he wanted to spend the remaining months of his life with her.

The pinkette opened her mouth to speak, but closed it once again. There was something about Kazuomi that made her nervous to be around him. Just the way his eyes bore holes through your skull when he looked at you was enough to send anyone running for the hills. It was even more uncomfortable for her to be sitting across from him in his office with the grandfather clock ticking like a time bomb.

Kazuomi continued, not waiting for Amu to make a comment. "I need you to convince him to get the surgery done. That way he at least has a chance at conquering this brain tumor." he paused, letting it all sink in before continuing as he stood out of his leather chair, starting to pace the room with his hands folded behind his back. "But, once he gets into the operating room, that's when you have to leave him. You know you'll only hold him back. Heck, you're even filling his mind with thoughts of pursuing his dream to be a violinist! Stop poisoning him with such crap. Being in the music industry won't get you anywhere."

Pursing her lips together to refrain from saying anything she'd regret, Amu slowly stood up and nodded while walking towards the door. She needed to get out of that room to breath.

"You better not be there after his operation." Kazuomi warned just as Amu reached the door. "You're not qualified to be with Ikuto."

_**End of Flashback**_

Amu's honey-colored eyes fluttered open to see strands of sunlight filtering in through the windows of the living room. It were memories like that which made her question her actions. Why did she have to leave him? She could've been there for him when he woke up. Perhaps he could've even become the violinist he desired to be.

Slowly, she picked herself up off the couch, stumbling over herself as she threw on her jacket.

Yoru had gone to the ice cream parlor earlier that day and played a prank on Kiseki, resulting in Tadase trying to break them up, but an ice cream battle followed shortly after. They were still there even though the fight was hours ago. Apparently the iced, flavored dairy product makes a mess when it gets flung across the room.

And Amu had no time to deal with that. She was needed at Town Hall to pick up a guest – some idiot who had to spend 250 hours in Seiyo doing community service. The person would be staying at Amu's house, which was why she needed to go and get them before they were bombarded by enthusiastic villagers who were far too eager to meet new people.

Yawning, Amu stepped inside the hospital for a quick stop. She sauntered through the building, the fluorescent lights on the ceiling illuminating the long halls with an eerie glow.

"I'm telling you, doctor, I feel a pain in my chest. I think it's from a broken heart."

Amu peered into her friend's office with a raised brow and chuckled once seeing the distressed blonde trying to contain her anger as she glared at the purple-haired man sitting on a chair across the room.

Nagihiko and Rima had never exactly liked each other and Nagi was eager to either annoy Rima until she agreed to date him, or simply annoy her just for the fun of it. He had begun to fancy her, but didn't tell anyone except Amu, who could tell just by watching them together.

"For the last time, Fujisaki, I swear I will sneak into your house in the middle of the night and cut off your-"

"Oh, hey, Amu!" Nagihiko greeted, interrupting Rima before she could finish her graphic sentence spoken between clenched teeth. "I was just telling this shorty how sweet she is."

Amu rolled her eyes. Bull crap.

The purple-haired male then laughed softly before jumping off the chair and leaving the room before Rima could throw something sharp at his back.

"I'm telling you, Rima..-"

"No way. He's a stupid cross-dresser." Rima replied to Amu's unfinished statement. After giving a quick scan through her filing cabinet, the blonde removed a folder and handed it to Amu. "All is well health-wise with you and Yoru, but you can look through those documents anyw-"

The door to the office suddenly burst open and in catapulted an out-of-breath blonde. People had got to stop interrupting others nowadays. "Did... y-you see … the visitor?" Utau asked through gasps of air.

Amu shared a glance with Rima before looking back at the aspiring singer. "What?"

"Th-that community service guy! He arrived like.. two hours ago!" Utau replied excitedly, "He doesn't _look _like a criminal!"

Another eye roll came from Amu. "He isn't a criminal. He's this famous person who had to do this as a way of apologizing to his fans or something." she replied. She reached across the desk and picked up Rima's water bottle, taking a quick sip from it.

Utau's violet eyes widened. "Ooooh. I thought only criminals did community service. Anyway, you have to see him! I think I recognize him... but, I don't know. This village's news system sucks, so I haven't been up-to-date with Japan's newest celebs."

"Doesn't Tsukasa know his name and what this guy does?" Rima questioned, not exactly interested, but desperate for silence.

The taller blonde shook her head. "He knows, but he doesn't want to tell anyone just yet... I don't know why. I should go ask him!" She then started laughing to herself on her way out the door.  
_  
_Silence consumed the room once more.

"You know... sometimes she just makes no sense." Rima commented dryly. Amu nodded in agreement. "Oh, and by the way, Tsukasa told Tadase to tell Yaya to tell me that this 'visitor' person would be escorted to your place by Tsukasa. So you don't have to go to town hall or anything." __

Amu nodded. "Okay, thanks." She then stood up to walk out of the room, then stopped in her tracks. "Wait a minute... did Utau say he's been here for two hours?" She asked slowly.

"I believe so." Rima replied while scanning through folders. "Why?"

Without responding, Amu hurried out of the room. The villagers must have gotten a hold of him, then. Their way of greeting a newcomer was by dragging them to the bar to ask them more about themselves. If they refused to speak, the next step was simple – get them insanely drunk so they'd spill all their secrets. It was a terrible thing to do, but it did the job.

Sprinting down the road, Amu nearly crashed into her front door. She hurriedly looked around the small house for any sign of the visitor. If he wasn't there yet, he must've still been at the bar just down the street. Amu already felt bad for him.

The door to the house swung open, Yoru walking inside, talking to someone behind him. "...But my mom doesn't like cats, so that's why we don't ha- hi mom! The heavy man got drunk and passed out." He stated as-a-matter-of-fact. Tsukasa then followed the small boy into the house shortly after, dragging a man in his mid-twenties.

Amu felt her blood go cold as her limbs turned to jell-o. With wide eyes she watched Tsukasa drop the guy on the couch. Slowly tip-toeing over to the passed out male, Amu confirmed her hunch.

It was Tsukiyomi Ikuto. __

-OoOoOo-

Amu tried to sleep, but it was hopeless. Just the constant reminder going off in her mind that Ikuto was in the room just across the hall made her alert. Out of all people, why did it have to be Ikuto that needed to do community service? And why did he have to stay with her? She figured God was punishing her for something.

Slowly sliding out of the bed, the pinkette tip-toed across the cold wooden floor and into the hallway.

She needed to make sure it wasn't all just a nightmare. That he was still there, passed out. Creeping towards the living room, Amu slowly peered inside. It was light enough for her to see him clearly. His mouth was open slightly and he was softly snoring.

Most people found it annoying, but Amu was strangely comforted by it. It was the same familiar noise she woke up to one certain night four or five years earlier.

_**Flashback  
**__Amu lay next to Ikuto in his bed with her head resting on his chest. Just the comforting feeling of his chest rise and fall with every breath he took was enough to calm her nerves and forget about the tumor.__****_

_She couldn't tear her eyes away from his serene, sleeping face. She loved everything about him. From his long eyelashes to his pale skin._

Amu gently pushed Ikuto's bangs away from his face, tracing her finger along his cheek bones. One thing she discovered at this moment was how much she especially loved his nose. Amu lightly ran her finger down the bridge of it, stopping at the tip before giggling quietly to herself once realizing how weird she was acting.

Just when she was about to trace his cheek bones again, Ikuto's hand grabbed onto hers' as his sapphire eyes slowly opened. He watched her in amusement while smirking at her. "Were you taking advantage of me in my sleep, Amu?" he asked quietly.

Blushing madly, Amu buried her face in her pillow, replying with a muffled "Maybe."

He kissed her forehead and closed his eyes again, wincing as he brought a hand up to his head. He had another headache. He got those a lot nowadays. Before it was just an occasional thing – nothing out of the ordinary.

Amu frowned while watching him in pain. She wished she could just make it all go away. "Where is it?" she asked quietly. They both knew she was talking about the tumor.

Ikuto moved his hand to the side of his head, pointing to the spot the doctor told him where the tumor was. It had been growing for years. The doctor was surprised Ikuto had survived this long.

Moving his hand out of the way, Amu gently kissed the side of his head. "I'm going to be with you through all of this. I know you'll be strong enough to make it through." she stated with a reassuring smile.

Ikuto placed a kiss on her lips and smiled back at her. "I'm sure I'll be just fine since you're here."

_**End of Flashback**_

Amu brushed the tears out of her eyes and took this moment to just admire the sleeping boy. He hadn't changed much in appearance. He still had the most perfect nose she loved so much and his hair was about the same length.

She remembered one of his excuses for not getting surgery was that he'd have to get his hair shaved off. His pride wouldn't allow it.

Smiling ever-so-slightly at the memory, Amu turned back around and wandered into her bedroom, climbing on the bed hidden under pillows. She couldn't let Yoru know that Ikuto was his dad. As much as she wanted to, it was for the better. After Ikuto's community service was over, he'd go back to Tokyo to start recording more songs and moving on with his life. Amu couldn't bear the thought of Yoru knowing who his father was and having to watch him drive away, out of his life once again.

What ate away at Amu's stomach right now, was the thought of what was going to happen tomorrow. 


	3. Forgotten

**So, as you can see, I renamed this! It was previously 'Behind Blue Eyes' soo hope you're not confused or anything. Haha.**

I do not own Shugo Chara!

Chapter 3

She hadn't stopped trembling nervously all morning, which her friends noticed instantly. They continuously sent cautious glances in Amu's direction while they sat around a large, round table, discussing what acts of community service could be done in the village.

Apparently, Ikuto hadn't done anything terrible like murdering someone or kidnapping, but he had assaulted a paparazzi, and his manager figured that the best way to truly apologize was by giving service to a town or village that needed it most.

Amu had no idea why she had agreed to let a stranger stay in her house. Before she knew who it was that was coming to Seiyo, she had been talking with Tsukasa about the visitor. Since Seiyo was so small, had no visitors, and the hotel was no longer running, there wasn't a place for this person to stay. Tsukasa had approached her, nearly begging her to help him with his problem. She, of course, didn't see anything wrong with that, since if the man tried anything, she could yell out to a neighbor and guaranteed, they'd dash over with pitchforks.

But this was a whole different story.

Amu _knew _this person. Knew him more than anyone else.

She was glad she had managed to escape the house with Yoru earlier that morning, before Ikuto woke up. After dropping Yoru off at school and running a few errands, Amu went straight to town hall to attend the meeting. Of course she left a note on the kitchen table telling Ikuto that she would be out for an hour or two. It was only polite to do so.

"How about helping you with paperwork?" Tadase offered while looking over at Tsukasa. One of the problems with living in a small village is that there wasn't much to do for community service. There were no highways to make sure everything was running smoothly, no traffic jams, construction... nothing. Nothing ever happened in Seiyo.

Slowly shaking his head, Tsukasa sighed quietly. "I don't have paperwork to do. And I doubt that would be helping the community."

While everyone pondered different ideas, Nagihiko made eye-contact with Rima and smiled softly at her, making her scowl and point her chin in the air, turning the opposite way.

"Maybe if Tsukiyomi-san was actually at this meeting, then maybe he could put in a few thoughts." Utau stated. That wasn't really the reason why she wanted him to be in the same room as her.

Amu rested her chin on the palm of her hand, leaning her elbows on the table's surface. "He should fix up the hotel." she huffed, desperate to get him out of her house.

Tsukasa's ears perked up as he turned his eyes to her. "That's a good idea, Amu-chan!" He exclaimed excitedly with a grin on his face. His sudden outburst made the pink-haired girl nearly jump. "Who agrees that we should have Tsukiyomi work on the hotel?"

Not coming up with any other ideas, everyone nodded in agreement as they starting chatting amongst themselves.

"And Amu-chan, since it was your idea, you can help me plan out what needs to be done to the building!" Tsukasa stated. "You, I, and Tsukiyomi will be a team from now on! Sound good?"

It felt like she was slowly evaporating into thin air. Amu froze with wide eyes, staring into space. It was bad enough he was staying in her house, but being a team-type-thing with him just wouldn't work out. How Amu could say this to Tsukasa, she didn't know. Anything said would raise questions.

Tadase also froze. He was the only one who knew about Amu's past with Ikuto. "Uh.. Tsukasa-san, could I also be a part of this project? I think I could bring some good ideas to the planning."

Once Tsukasa gave him permission to, Amu immediately mouthed, 'thank you' to Tadase. At least having a friend nearby wouldn't make it too weird... hopefully.

_**MEANWHILE...**_

The house was so small. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, small dining room, and a living room. No office, entertainment room, weight room, laundry room, guest room... wait, no. He spotted the guest room at the end of the hallway. Short hallway that it was.

Ikuto walked back into the living room and looked out a window at the tire swing in the front yard. His apartment back in Tokyo was bigger than this place. Not to mention nicer. But this is what happens when you beat up a nosy paparazzi.

He sighed while sinking into a nearby couch and stared straight ahead. His throbbing headache was subsiding finally, but he was still tired and wanted to go home, eager to get this community service over and done with.

It wasn't just the village that he didn't like, but also the people. The gleam they had in their eyes made Ikuto think they were either going to kill him or eat him, he couldn't figure out which one. It was after a few questions with no answers coming from his side that resulted in him being thrown into the bar with drinks all around.

Just the memory made him cringe. He wasn't an alcohol-lover, nor an alcohol-_liker_. What made him drink so much, he had no clue. He also wasn't used to herds of villagers charging towards him as soon as he stepped out of his vehicle. Wait a minute... where _was _his car?

Ikuto groaned. He'd have to search for it later.

Before any more thinking could be done, the front door opened, revealing a small boy with blue hair and golden eyes.

A silent staring contest began with only the ticking of a clock and the rustling of the wind in the trees as background noise.

Eventually, a gleaming item Yoru was holding behind his back caught Ikuto's eye. A … crown?

Noticing Ikuto's eyes on what he was hiding, Yoru proudly presented the crown to Ikuto with a mischievous smirk on his face. "I stole this from the stupid kiddy-king." He stated.

_Kiddy-King_

Those two words seemed to ring through Ikuto's head. The nick-name sounded so familiar...

Pushing the thought aside, he decided to at least talk to this little boy. "Kiddy-king?" He repeated.

Yoru nodded as he waddled through the dining room, placing the crown on the table before he wandered his way over to the fridge. "He's a dummy who always bullies little kids. But, I play pranks on him to get my revenge. I'm Yoru, by the way. Mom went to a meeting, so you'll see her later."

Clueless to how to converse with such a small kid, Ikuto said the first thing that came to mind. "Shouldn't you be at school?"

"School is done. You don't have any kids, do you?" Yoru guessed while straining to open up a bottle of water.

"No," Ikuto reached over and helped unscrew the cap and handed the water bottle back to Yoru, "obviously not." The two sat at the dining table in silence, Yoru drinking his water and Ikuto just sitting there.

Suddenly, Yoru placed the water down, gazing at Ikuto with wide eyes. "I have a brilliant idea! Since I don't have a dad and you don't have any kids, we should be buddies! We can relate!"

Ikuto was confused as to how two people could relate from that. If they _both _didn't have fathers, then they could be buddies... but, this? "Uh... sure." He replied, hesitant.

Nodding at his achievement and how genius he was, Yoru happily slid off his seat and hurried down the hallway to the washroom.

The blue-haired man had to smile ever-so-slightly at how cute that boy was. He was full of life, smart for his age, and mischievous. He had a feeling they would indeed become good friends in the nearby future.

"Yoru, sorry I'm late! I'll make din...ner..." The feminine voice wandered off as Ikuto turned in his seat to see a pink-haired girl standing at the front door, slowly closing it behind her while the rest of her body was frozen.

Ikuto figured this was Yoru's mom and decided to stand up to greet her properly. "Hey, I'm Tsukiyomi Ikuto. You're... Hinamori Amu, right?"

Amu could feel her heart pressing loudly against her ribs, nearly cracking the bones as she gazed into his midnight blue eyes. Her cheeks started going pink as her words got jumbled in her mouth. Then it dawned on her. Why didn't he recognize her? Especially if he even knew her name.

"Why are you... acting like this is the first time... we've met?" She asked gingerly while awkwardly carrying a bag of groceries.

At first, Ikuto also looked confused. "Do we know each other?"

It was amazing how those words could sink your stomach completely. Could make you feel confused whether you should be grateful or upset.

"I'm sorry. A few years ago I had brain surgery and lost my memory." the blue-haired male explained with a soft chuckle as he rubbed his head, as if remembering the pain he once had before the operation. "Were we friends before?"

Memory loss. That could be why he hadn't come looking for her for all these years. He didn't remember her... at all. Which meant he had no clue about what had happened between them. She stood in front of him as a stranger.

Realizing she had yet to answer his question, Amu quickly replied. "N-no, I don't know you. Excuse me, I have to get dinner r-ready." She said, bending her head low and not making eye-contact while hurrying into the kitchen, brushing past him.

Ikuto frowned. That girl was so weird. He then glanced down the hallway where Yoru was emerging from. "How could that cute child belong to such a strange girl?" he asked himself quietly.

"Let's watch a movie, buddy!" Yoru stated cheerfully while pulling Ikuto over to the living room. "Scary ones are my favorite. Which ones do you like?"

_Funny. _Ikuto thought. _They're my favorite too. _

They were definitely going to be good friends. 


	4. Poker Night

**Kate: I know! I'm sorry! I'm terrible! But I was traveling and away from home for a while... in fact I'm still away from home, but I pulled an all-nighter so I could type up this chapter! I'm definitely going to update much much sooner. Once again I'm sorry!**

Disclaimer: I don't own!

Chapter: 4

"For the last time, I did not make him fall into the creek!" Yoru defended tiredly once again. "I just was at the wrong place at the wrong time!"

No, of course he was lying. He had seen Kiseki reaching for something in the water and seized the opportunity by casually walking by and 'accidentally' pushing him in. The result was priceless, though, so it was worth it.

Amu rubbed her face, clearly exhausted. With working on re-building the hotel, trying to act normal in front of Ikuto, dealing with Tadase's random outbursts towards Ikuto, and still keeping Yoru out of trouble, she was starting to get tired out. Not to mention when Tadase did have those random times when he suddenly got angry, Ikuto had no idea what the heck he did wrong. Even if Ikuto didn't remember him, Tadase certainly remembered the mischievous cat-boy and how he stole his woman. Even though Amu was never Tadase's, he still acted like she was.

"Yoru, why don't you and Kiseki sort things out?" Amu asked slowly as she set the pile of dirty dishes aside. "I'm sure he's a nice boy. All you have to do is get to know him."

This made Yoru snort. "Yeah, right. That's like getting uncle Ikuto and uncle Tadase to be best friends."

For some reason, this surprised Amu. "You've noticed their behavior too?"

The small boy rolled his golden eyes over to her like she was stupid. "Of course! But they say they don't know each other.. so I don't know why they act like they hate each other's guts." He then shrugged his small shoulders before hurrying away from the kitchen counter.

Amu hadn't noticed Ikuto acting like he hated Tadase, but more the other way around. Perhaps since the blue-haired male didn't like the blond in the past, he just automatically didn't like him now, either.

The pinkette grew quiet as she slowly started piling dishes into the water in the sink, listening in on what was going on in the other room. Utau had showed up with poker cards in hand, since it was, after all, Friday night. Of course Kukai, Nagihiko, and Rima were to arrive shortly after to join the fun. They were now all sitting around Amu's dining table, where Nagihiko was dealing the cards and everyone else began practicing their poker face.

Originally it was just 'Games Night' and the main game played was Pictionary. That ended when Utau got pissed off and started throwing plates at all the contestants. Now they just stuck with playing poker and called it 'Poker Night'.

Right after entering the room,Yoru scanned the faces at the table and instantly hopped up onto Nagihiko's lap, knowing he'd most likely be the winner, so he wanted to be a part of the winning team.

Clueless to what was occurring, Ikuto yawned as he walked out of the washroom in a t-shirt and pajama bottoms with a towel around his neck. He stopped in his place once seeing the crowd around the table.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Ikuto raised an eyebrow before sliding into the kitchen, much to Amu's dismay. Her goal was to not be in the same room as him as much as possible. So far she was failing. Quite miserably, too. So, she just continued to wash dishes, hoping she'd blend in with the wall and Ikuto wouldn't see her there.

The pinkette nearly jumped out of her skin when he stood beside her, reaching into the soapy water and beginning to help wash the plates. She opened her mouth to tell him she could do it herself, but he held up a finger.

"Don't protest. I want to help." He said lightly with a small chuckle under his breath. He resumed scrubbing a plate as Amu closed her mouth once again.

"O-okay, well.. thank you." She said finally. She grabbed a clean towel and began drying the dishes resting in the draining rack before piling them back in the cupboards.

Just standing next to him created butterflies in Amu's stomach. He still smelt as amazing as he ever did: a mixture of soap and cinnamon. She was too nervous about brushing her arm against his that she almost forgot to breath. Choking on air in front of him wasn't something she wanted to experience at the moment.

"Why aren't you out there playing poker with them?" Ikuto asked, handing her a plate that needed drying.

Amu shrugged after receiving the plate. She had never really enjoyed poker. Any form of gambling wasn't a hobby of hers. "I'm just... not into it, I guess." She replied as she walked across the cold tiled floor to the cupboard holding the plates.

"Do you want to pee or play poker?" Utau raised her voice when Kukai had stood up, getting ready to go to the washroom. She could get pretty intense when it came to challenges.

"I want to pee." Was Kukai's breezy answer before he grinned innocently and disappeared down the hallway.

Ikuto chuckled at what he had just heard. "Are you sure it's because you're not into it, or is it that scary blond that makes you want to stay in here?" He had asked, half-serious. Well, he had a point, but Amu was used to Utau's behavior, so it didn't really have an effect on her... well, sometimes it did.

The pinkette smiled slightly at the question. "You'll never know." She answered slyly, "What about you? Why aren't you joining them?"

"You'll never know." Ikuto imitated, making Amu hold back a noticeable smile as she shook her head.

"Alrighty, then." Kukai's voice sounded once more as the washroom door flung open, the distant sound of the toilet flushing was audible, "Your money's mine, Hoshina." 

"Your fly's open, Souma." Came Utau's reply.

Amu could hear Kukai mutter a few insults under his breath. She could only guess he was hastily zipping his fly back up before going back to acting all mysterious and professional. When it came to playing a game against Utau, he needed to win. Any game with those two participating might turn into a death match.

"You let Yoru watch them?" Ikuto questioned, "is he into that stuff?"

Nodding, the pinkette glanced out the window at the dark night sky. She'd have to remember to close that window before it got too cold. "Yeah, he's always loved poker. I don't know why for sure, but I think he got that from his dad." Shoot. She wanted to smack herself. Now, of course, questions would arise about Yoru's dad, which was _Ikuto _even though he didn't know that.

"His dad was into that?" Ikuto asked.

_Well... I don't have to tell him who Yoru's dad is, so we're safe. _Amu thought. "Yeah, he would get together with the boys and play poker for hours." She replied, remembering Ikuto's unreadable expression he had whenever he played. "He had the best poker face I had ever seen. No one could tell what he was thinking."

"Hm..." The male hummed in response, "That'd suck for you." After receiving a confused look from Amu, he continued. "I mean, he could put on that face at random and you would have no idea what was going on. I don't know, if you ask me, I would hate to be with someone who was a closed book."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. But he promised me he'd never put on that expression when he wasn't playing cards, that way I wouldn't have to worry about what was going on in his mind." Amu replied.

Both of them jumped when Utau's voice rang out once more, followed by Rima's.

"I hate this game!"

"Kukai, move that plate away from her."

"Yes, ma'am, I'm on it."

"You've got an... interesting group of friends." Ikuto commented as the people in the other room continued to bicker, an occasional person reminding everyone to keep the plates away from Utau.

Smiling as she nodded, Amu shrugged a shoulder. "You just kind of... grow to love them. They're my second family, so it's hard for me to not love them."

Suddenly, the dreaded question was brought up. One Amu wished, prayed, and hoped wouldn't come up. "Where's Yoru's dad?"

Stuttering and stumbling over her words, Amu reached into the soapy water, brushing Ikuto's hand, which made her whip her hand back out like she touched a poisonous snake.

"Well, he..." She drifted off while walking over to the cupboard to put the cups away. Of course she couldn't reach the top shelf. Before she gave up, Ikuto came up from behind her and took the dishes from her hands, placing them in their places at the top.

"He just.. isn't around?" He guessed.

Amu could feel the body warmth radiating off of him, which caused a blush to grace her features and her breath hitch in her throat. "Y-yeah... he isn't." She hoped he couldn't hear her heart beating so out of control. A small part of her longed to know if his reacted the same way whenever they were close.

What she would never know, is that it did. Which confused Ikuto, but nonetheless, it pounded against his ribcage once the smell of her strawberry shampoo wafted under his nose.

Suddenly, a few words came to mind that Ikuto hadn't heard in ages.

_ Cool 'n' Spicy_

What did that mean?

**Kate: Na-na-na-na-na-na BATMAN! Is Ikuto beginning to remember? I mean, he did remember 'cool n spicy' so he must remember more in the future right? Hmm.. I don't know. **


	5. Never Clean Utau's Apartment

**Kate: Heya, so for the next chapter, would you want to see an Amuto, Rimahiko, or Kutau moment? I can **_**try **_**to put one in, depending on which one is requested the most ^_^. ******

Disclaimer: I do not own.

Chapter: 5

There was something pleasant about Seiyo Village in the summer. Perhaps it was that one neighbor that was constantly outside tending to their garden, or it was the large trees that provided the only source of shade, or maybe it was just the warmth of the air that greeted you every time you stepped outside.

This was the time of the year that Tadase favored. Well... usually favored. If _he _wasn't around, it'd be a lot more enjoyable. _He _as in Tsukiyomi Ikuto: Tadase's enemy since that one day seven years ago. Not to mention it was just a year later that Ikuto had met Amu.

Everything went downhill from there.

Brushing the back of his hand against his brow, Tadase glared silently at Ikuto. The blond was sulking in his seat at one of the bowling alley's many tables. In all honesty, he wanted to be the one to teach Yoru how to bowl. But no, of course Yoru chose to ask Ikuto to help him instead.

Why did he even have to be around? Right when Tadase thought Amu was forgetting about him and that he was officially out of everyone's lives, he shows up again, ruining all chances for the blond to finally confess to Amu. He wouldn't deny it any longer. He was in love with Hinamori Amu and had been ever since middle school.

However, that was before _he _had appeared in her life. Before she had fallen from a tree, landing on _him_. Before she had volunteered for a summer job, working at a music store that _he _always went to.

Tadase didn't know if he could bear it any longer. Tsukiyomi Ikuto was just a black cat of misfortune. Everyone knew that. They also made sure to remind Ikuto of that fact almost daily. A week wouldn't go by without at least one person saying that to him. They knew that nothing could hurt him more.

Clenching his jaw tightly, Tadase watched Yoru pout after he had thrown a bowling ball into the gutter. Ikuto said a few reassuring words before ruffling the little boy's hair and picking up another ball, once again trying to show Yoru how to throw it so it would go straight.

Having Ikuto around never did have positive outcomes. In fact, Tadase had never told anyone of this, but he had grown up with Ikuto. They were practically brothers. Even though he was a few years older, he still played hide and seek whenever Tadase had asked him to.

Tadase vaguely remembered that one spring night Ikuto had arrived on the front porch of the Hotori household. He was around the age of five, while Tadase was three.

Ikuto's father, Aruto, had disappeared without a trace just a few months before, leaving the young boy to help his mom in her fragile state. With Ikuto as a constant reminder of her husband, Souko could take it no longer and sent him to live with Tadase.

It was from that point on that Tadase's life had taken a turn for the worse. His dog died, his grandma got sick, his parents were fighting more than usual. When Ikuto left to once again live with his timid mother, who was now re-married to some guy named Kazuomi, the unfortunate events stopped occurring.

That is, until Ikuto was nineteen and he had met seventeen year old Amu. Tadase was searching all over the school yard for Amu, gaining his courage to confess, since it was graduation day, after all. Graduation was the perfect day since if she rejected him, he could disappear, and if she accepted, they could go to the same university and live happily ever after or something.

He had seen Ikuto sleeping underneath a tree. His mom had most likely forced him to show up to congratulate Tadase. Knowing him, Ikuto probably got tired of searching and decided to take a nap.

It was at that moment that Amu fell out of that tree, landing on the blue-haired boy. That was an awkward silence. Ikuto staring at Amu, Amu staring at him. The cat she had just rescued from one of the tree branches struggled his way out of the pinkette's hand and dashed away, leaving the two strangers there to make sense of the situation.

Tadase sighed at the memory. Who would've guessed that six years later, they'd have a son, Ikuto wouldn't have his memory, Amu would still be in love with Ikuto, and Tadase would still love Amu. Life was complicated sometimes.

The blond male idly started twirling his straw around in his ice water, never taking his ruby eyes off of Yoru. Some would call him over-protective, but he figured it was his duty as Amu's friend: to keep her son safe.

He had been so focused on making sure Yoru was safe with the rest of the children from Miki's party that he didn't notice Ikuto take a seat across from him.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were Yoru's father." Ikuto commented with a smirk. "Judging by the way you act whenever he's around."

Tadase forced a smile. "Really? Well... I don't know if I'd want to be compared to that man." He replied, loving the fact that he could talk about Yoru's dad straight to Ikuto's face and he'd have no clue that it was himself. "He was never in Yoru's life. In fact, he wasn't around when Amu was pregnant, either. So... I guess I just feel like her boy deserves to have someone that'd be like a father to him."

Ikuto nodded slowly before looking over at Yoru. Whoever wouldn't want to be a part of their kid's life must have serious problems. They helped create the child, so they should also be around to help raise it. "Did we used to know each other?"

The question took Tadase aback. He wasn't remembering was he? The blond hoped he hadn't said anything that triggered a memory, or Amu would have his head cut off in an instant. "Uhh n-no, why are you wondering?"

"Because even though you're trying really hard to cover it up, I can tell that you're either mad at me or you hate me... I'm trying to figure out why." Ikuto replied as his eyebrows slanted downwards, studying Tadase carefully.

"Oh... well... we didn't know each other that well. We were just family friends." Tadase stated. "I guess I still have some unresolved anger from a few years back when we were fighting over a girl."

This made the blue-haired man smirk. "I'm guessing I got her..?"

"What makes you say that! You think I'm not good enough?" Tadase demanded. "'Cause let me tell you, I will soon be the king of the world and I will have whoever I want."

"Calm down, kiddy king." Ikuto chuckled, clearly amused with Tadase's reaction. "I just figured it was kind of obvious that I got the girl, seeing as how you're still mad at me. If you ended up with her, you would be prancing around right now and rubbing it in my face."

And the blond started sulking once again.

-MEANWHILE-

Kukai frowned. He took a seat on Utau's couch as he tried to picture what the living room would look like after he had finished cleaning it. However, it was rather difficult since he had never even seen the floor of the room.

Utau was a messy, yet tidy kind of woman. In her apartment, there was danger at every corner. But it was perfect for her, because she knew where everything was. Which was why she didn't bother cleaning. Face the facts, when you have a messy room, you seem to know exactly where everything is, but after tidying, you can't find a thing. Which was the case with Utau. This was unknown to Kukai, though, who thought she was just too lazy to clean.

The brunette hoisted himself back to his feet, tip-toeing across the mountains of clothes, magazines, shoes, CDs, make up, and nail polish, over to the opposite end of the room where the kitchen was. Utau never cooked, so she stored the rest of her junk on top of the stove and in cabinets. Kukai could've sworn he had once seen her place shoes in the oven since she had no other space.

This was all another reason why the two never got along. Kukai was a rather clean person who couldn't stand having a pile of dirty laundry in the same room as him. Utau, on the other hand, didn't care. Of course she washed her clothes, but only when she was down to one more clean outfit to wear. She was messy, yet refused to wear a shirt that hadn't been washed since the last time she had worn it.

About once a month was laundry day. That meant getting Nagihiko, Amu, Rima, Kukai, and sometimes even Yoru to help Utau carry bags of clothing down the street to the laundromat.

Kukai shuddered at the memory. Strapping on yellow, rubber gloves, he pulled on a pair of safety goggles before continuing his mission. This was the plan he had come up with as a way of apologizing to Utau, since he had beat her at poker just days before. She was still pissed off about that, and he knew that if he didn't do something soon, she would come up with an even worse punishment.

He was just doing this to get on her good side. If you didn't do something to make up for beating Utau at a game, you'd regret it for the rest of your life.

"Alright..." Kukai began, sitting on an empty space on the kitchen counter. From the dark purple walls to the hardwood floor, everything was a disaster. Before doing anything else, the male pulled on a white lab coat he had stolen from his chemistry lab in the eleventh grade. "Come to Kukai!" He exclaimed loudly as he reached over to the stove, picking up the pile of jewelry.

Just as he was about to sort through it, the door opened, freezing him in his place.

"...You know... I can't really say that I'm surprised." Rima commented in monotone once seeing what Kukai was wearing. Shutting the door behind her, the petite blond trudged over to the couch, where she began skimming through a magazine.

"Thanks, Rima." Kukai said, his voice strained as he reached for another pile of jewelry. "That really means a lot to me."

After dropping all the jewelry he could find into a pile on the window seat, he began moving the couch across the room, then once again froze once hearing the door open.

"...Well, Nagi, you never kno- Kukai, what are you doing?" Amu asked in a panic. Nagihiko slowly closed the door as he shook his head. "You're a dead man, Souma."

Kukai swam through a heap of shoes, shuddering as he wiped invisible germs off of his coat. "I thought that cleaning her apartment was a good way of apologizing for taking all of Utau's money in poker and all. Why is everybody being so dramatic?"

Amu closed her eyes, hoping for Kukai's sake that this was all a dream. "Oh no, no, no. Kukai, I know you did this for all the right reasons, but never, _ever _clean a female's apartment without their authorization." She said dangerously.

"...Why not?"

"Because first of all, there could be feminine products such as packages of tampons lying around, and also because this is _Utau. _She knows where everything is and we all know what happens when she can't find something she's looking for!" Amu stated, already grabbing Nagihiko's wrist to look at his watch.

In only a few minutes Utau would be home. There was no way possible that they would be able to put everything back in it's original place. And when the blond got home, she would instantly notice that something was different. That would be everyone's cue to run for the hills.

Kukai was already starting to panic. "But- wh-why do you have a clean place? How was I supposed to know that Utau wasn't just too lazy to clean or something!"

"Kukai, I have a son." Amu replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "If I had a messy house, I don't think I'd be able to find him ever again."

"Wha-what do I do! I can't put everything back the way it was! I've been working on this for... I don't know, an hour or two!" Kukai yelled in a voice so high it made Nagihiko cringe.

Rima just continued to hide her amusement by pretending to read an article about different face shapes. "Oh, Amu, speaking of Yoru, where is he?" She asked, peering over her shoulder at the pink-haired girl.

"Tadase and Ikuto took him to Miki's birthday party at the bowling alley." Amu replied while trying to imagine what the room looked like before this incident. "I think those necklaces were on the coffee table before. No, not tho- yeah, those ones."

Rima raised an elegant eyebrow. "'Ikuto'? Since when did you start calling him by his first name? Getting a little friendly, are we?"

Without having to look, everyone knew Amu would be blushing.

"I-I meant to say 'Tsukiyomi-san'. W-we're not friendly at all, I don't even kn-know him." Amu hurriedly replied without making eye-contact with anyone.

Rima's suspicions grew as a frown formed on her face. She pretended to go back to reading, but continued to watch Amu rush about the room. The blond had noticed that ever since Ikuto had arrived in Seiyo Village just a few weeks earlier, Amu started acting odd.

After a few minutes of thinking, Rima got bored of the subject and shrugged it off while everyone else ran around in a frenzy.

"Kukai, move that a little more to the left- No, your other left... there!"

"Uh... I don't think this is suppose to be green."

"Don't throw it away, just put it back where it was."

"You know, you can help out too, Rima."

"I'm sorry." Rima said in a rather convincing tone. "I _would ..._but I don't want to." Then she went back to reading.

Nagihiko rested his hands on his hips as he did a quick scan of the room. "I think it's as messy as it was before. Looks good." He commented before patting Kukai on the back, who had begun whimpering. After all the work he had put into it, the room was a jungle once more.

Amu gave the brunette a sympathetic hug and a quick kiss on the head. "You did good, Kukai."

Before anymore words were shared, the door was flung open and Utau stomped inside. She threw her purse on a pile of other purses, then tossed her shoes on the counter. Kukai cringed. He needed to clean.  
"I think I was just fired!" Utau huffed, folding her arms across her chest and dropping onto the couch next to Rima. "My pig-headed boss was all like, 'Hey, Hoshina, we have to let you go. You-'". She then went dangerously quiet.

…

…

…

"...Who moved my couch?"

All of them knew it: They were doomed.

**Any spelling/grammar mistakes? Please let me know!**


	6. To The Lake

**Disclaimer: I do not own**

Chapter: 6

Ikuto wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before screwing the lid back onto his empty water bottle. After working on re-building the hotel for nearly eight hours straight, he was now ready to take a long shower and sleep for the remaining of the day.

Having community service end up being needing to build under the blistering sun was something he'd rather not do. Any other acts of service was fine with him, but of course it had to be something he hated.

Coming up to Amu's house, Ikuto slowed to a stop in the front yard, where Kukai was picking flowers out of the garden.

"...Is this a secret hobby of yours?" Ikuto asked with a teasing smirk, sitting on the grass next to the brunette, who obviously wanted to be doing something else.

"This is what happens when you get on Utau's bad side." He replied.

The blue-haired man raised an eyebrow at him. "Picking flowers? Doesn't seem too bad." It was better than what Ikuto had been doing for the past couple weeks, eight hours a day. He'd happily gather up bundles of flowers instead.

Kukai shook his head. "No, this is just a side job Utau made me do while she thinks of another way of punishing me for trying to clean her apartment. So far I've held her shopping bags while she strolled around the mall for hours, then I did her heaps of laundry, took her out to lunch, cleaned her toilet, bought her groceries-" He stopped to take a breath. "There's more, but I don't feel like reliving the experiences by listing them."

Ikuto patted him on the back sympathetically, letting Kukai get back to digging up flowers. Well, now Ikuto was a lot more grateful for being able to relax, since there were some people in the world – like Kukai – who still had to work.

Indescribable bliss overwhelmed Ikuto as he stepped inside the air-conditioned house. He mentally thanked Amu for keeping it refreshingly cool.

"No, trust me, I'll definitely come up with something that's so unbearably torturous that'd make him wish he never met me." Utau stated with a creepy smile following shortly after.

Yoru moved closer to his mom, fearing Utau would decide to make him her slave as well as Kukai. "Mommy... auntie's really scary." He whispered to Amu, who nodded in agreement, pulling the small boy onto her lap.

It was then that Utau noticed Ikuto had entered the room. Her jaw nearly dropped to the ground once seeing him. "You're so handsome! Can I like.. touch your face?". Her arms were already outstretched towards Ikuto, making him back away slowly.

"Way to be cool, Utau." Rima muttered over the rim of her cup of tea. Whoever was capable of drinking tea or any other hot beverage in the middle of summer was definitely hardcore. The petite blond sat on the couch with her legs outstretched across Nagihiko's lap, a pillow propped behind her head, and a magazine lying on her stomach. At least one of them was living the dream.

"Alright, your _majesty_." Kukai said with a scowl on his way over to the armchair Utau was lounging in. "Here are the flowers you requested." He nearly shoved the bouquet into the blond's arms.

Amu stared at them long and hard before her eyes widened, shooting Kukai an accusing look. "Did you take those from my garden?"

There was silence in the room. It wasn't a question, really, since they all knew the answer. Ikuto closed the door of the fridge and lifted the new bottle of water to his lips, trying to hide a smirk. A part of him was very curious to see what Kukai would do.

All eyes were on the brunette. "How about we go to the lake?" He proposed excitedly, pulling Yoru onto his lap as he sat on the carpeted floor. Of course Yoru would agree with him. He loved water almost more than marine animals did. This he got from Amu, since Ikuto hated all sorts of water.

Utau hummed as she pondered this idea. She could always get Kukai to fan her while she sat under an umbrella with her large sunglasses sitting on the bridge of her nose. Sending an evil look in Kukai's direction, she smiled at the plan. "Sounds good to me."

Rima simply shrugged. "Doesn't matter. As long as someone brings sun screen."

This made Kukai grin. "Great, it's settled, then! To the lake!"

Amu opened her mouth to protest, but closed it once seeing Yoru happily run to his room to get his swim trunks and a towel. One trip to the lake wouldn't be that bad. Even though she was planning on getting some housework done, everyone deserved a break every now and then. It was summer, after all.

Ikuto, on the other hand, didn't want to go at all. Just the thought of being in murky, sandy water with unknown substances floating around him was definitely not a turn-on. "Uh, yeah... you guys have fun. I'll stay here and watch the grass grow." That was a whole lot more fun than going to the lake.

"Please can you come with us?" Yoru asked, dropping his towel and pulling on Ikuto's hand. "Please? It won't be fun without you!"

Nagihiko hid a smile as he watched Ikuto, knowing he'd give in. No one could resist Yoru's puppy dog look. Yoru knew this, too, and used it to his advantage. Only in desperate times, though.

Sighing deeply, Ikuto caved. "Alright, fine."

Watching from behind her shades, Rima could definitely feel something was there between the two. It was almost as if they had been friends for years, even though they had met not even a month ago. Her golden eyes then flickered over to Amu, who was packing bottles of water into a bag. Rima couldn't help but think there might be something her friend was hiding from her.

"Hey, shorty, let's go." Nagihiko said with a smile, nudging Rima in the side. She merely sent him a death glare in response, huffing as she stood up. She wasn't that short... never mind, she was, but that didn't mean she didn't feel offended when people teased her about it.

It was just a few minutes later when the group was walking down the empty dirt road, towards the lake. Even though they didn't have swimsuits, they were eager to get there, even if it meant swimming in their clothes.

Kukai led the way, mainly because he didn't want to get caught walking next to Utau and end up having to carry her or something else just as absurd. Rima, Utau and Nagihiko followed shortly after, and Amu was last, holding one of Yoru's hands while Ikuto held the other.

The happiest one of them all was definitely the youngest, Yoru. He felt like his family was finally complete. Ikuto as the dad and Amu, his mom. He looked up at Ikuto and tried to hide a smile, looking back down at his light-up shoes. Maybe this was what it felt like to have a dad. He knew he needed to enjoy it while it lasted.

"There it is!" Kukai suddenly shouted. He looked back at Yoru and smiled. "I'll race you there!". Just like that, he started running.

"That's not fair!" Yoru yelled, running after him as fast as his short legs could take him, which was rather slowly.

Smirking, Ikuto got an idea and scooped Yoru up onto his shoulders and started running. "We're going to beat him!" He yelled confidently before passing Kukai, leaving him behind in the dust.

Amu watched them nervously, her pace automatically quickening to catch up to them. She didn't know what she'd do if anything happened to her son. She then slowed back down and smiled secretly. He was with his dad. She decided it'd be best to let them spend as much time together as possible while they could.

"Hey, b-but, th-" Kukai stumbled over his words, resting his hands on his knees to catch his breath. He definitely didn't make it to the edge of the lake first. It wasn't his fault, though. How was he suppose to know Ikuto was a fast runner? "That's cheating." He groaned, lying in the sand.

Yoru stuck his tongue out before jumping into the water, already yelling for everyone else to join him.

Kukai jumped up, about to catapult into the water when he was stopped by a voice. "Don't you dare, Souma." He shuddered. "I need someone to fan me, now don't I?" He could tell she was smiling that evil 'I-could-kill-you-if-I-wanted-to-but-I'd-rather-make-you-suffer' smile.

He slowly trudged over to Utau, who was already lounging on a towel, holding a Chinese fan out for Kukai to take. "Yes, your majesty." He muttered under his breath. He now knew why she had agreed to come.

Amu sat cross-legged next to Rima and watched Nagihiko throw Yoru into the water. He then picked the boy back up and turned to face Ikuto, who was still standing on the sand. After releasing him, Nagi laughed at the sight of Yoru pulling the very reluctant Ikuto into the cold water.

"Wait, wait." Ikuto said once the water was up to his thighs. He pulled his t-shirt over his head and threw it onto the sand. "I don't want that to shrink." He muttered before diving into the water, his teeth chattering once he came back to the surface. "I-it's friggin' c-cold!"

Yoru suddenly looked mischievous. A splash followed shortly after.

Ikuto glared at the boy who had just dumped a rather large amount of water on him. "Come here." he said innocently, reaching out.

Yoru shook his head as he laughed. "You're gonna dunk me under the water!"

"What, now why would I do that?"

"Then why are you coming towards me? Mom, he's going to dunk me!" Yoru yelled through his little fits of laughter. "Mom, come save me!"

Amu smiled. "I'd rather not. But you have my permission to beat him up if he does try to put you under water." Glancing over at Kukai and Utau, she chuckled at the sight. Even though Utau treated him like a slave now, there would definitely be something else going on between them in the future. She could feel it.

Out of the corner of her eye, the pinkette noticed Nagi slowly walking towards her, which made her pile everything that was supposed to remain dry on her lap. "D-don't get any ideas! I have to keep all this stuff dry, so I can't go into the water right now."

Of course that didn't stop him. With one smooth move, Amu was picked up and thrown into the water.

She glared through her wet bangs at her purple-haired friend, who was now lounging next to Rima. "So that's how it is." She pulled at her t-shirt, hating how it clung to her like it was suctioned. Honestly, she really did like swimming, but only in pools. One thing she hated about lakes and oceans were the fish.

Suddenly, something slimy rubbed against her leg for a split second. That was enough to make her blood run cold and her face pale. "WHAT WAS THAT? THERE'S A SHARK IN THE LAKE. IT'S AN EEL! THERE'S SOMETHING-" Everything else screamed after that was rather difficult to understand. Amu dashed to shore, towards the closest thing – Ikuto. "Th-th-th-there's something there!" She whispered, clutching his arm tightly and pointing to the spot she was just at.

That's what was strange about the two of them. Ikuto hated water, but loved being around fish. Amu hated fish but loved water.

The blue-haired male sniggered. "Hey, Amu, what's that?"

She screamed. Loud. At what? Her imagination. She turned to scramble to Rima, only to run into Ikuto, knocking both of them onto the sand.

It didn't take long for Amu to realize she was pretty much straddling Ikuto. They stared at each other for a very long, awkward time, and she noticed his eyes were still that beautiful shade of blue she had remembered them to be.

"I-I-I-"

Ikuto smirked and rose a finger to silence her. "You're pretty feisty." He teased.

Amu swiftly sprung off of him and hurried over to Rima, feeling her face growing hot.

Just like old times.

**Soo I'm thinking next chapter, Ikuto should remember a few more things. Sound good? Oh, and please let me know of any mistakes! Thank you!**


	7. What if?

**Disclaimer: I do not own. Do you? _**

Chapter: 7__

The obnoxious ticking of the wall clock added to Ikuto's headache. He finished emptying his already empty stomach into the toilet, his hand shaking as he flushed it. It seemed that lately he was too weak and shaky to do anything. The tumor treatment was getting to him.

He released an uneasy breath, pulling his limp body off the cold bathroom floor and over to the sink. Knowing he wouldn't be able to hold his toothbrush without his hand shaking, Ikuto reached for the cinnamon mouth wash instead. He knew it was Amu's favorite.

Amu. He was desperate to get out of the hospital and start spending more time with her. Of course she visited him everyday and spent the night whenever she could. But he wanted to take her out on a date, go see a movie- anything, just as long as it wasn't in the hospital.

After swishing it around in his mouth a few times, he spat the mouthwash into the sink and reached for his razor. Even though he didn't have a beard or any stubble, he decided he'd shave whenever he could, just to feel like he was still alive.

Once the shaving cream was on his face, he lifted the razor, ending up having to put it back down. His hand was quivering too much to do anything. If he tried shaving, he'd cut himself.

A soft knock was heard at the closed door before it slowly opened. Just seeing that girl made his heart lift. Words couldn't describe how much he loved her.

"Are you okay?" Amu asked, closing the door behind her.

He forced a laugh. "I... I can't even shave anymore." He stated before resting his head in his hands as he leaned his elbows against the sink.

Amu reached for the razor, telling Ikuto to sit down on the toilet seat cover. Once he obliged, she sat sideways on his lap, placing the razor against his cheek.

He winced, making Amu jump and pull away. "D-did I cut you?" she panicked. Ikuto chuckled as he shook his head. "No, I just wanted to see your reaction."

Normally she'd hit him across the head and stomp away. But now, she enjoyed hearing him laugh. Even seeing a smile or smirk was breathtaking. She couldn't stand to witness what he had been going through – painful needles almost daily and headaches so bad he couldn't sleep. The headaches were the worst part of this experience. If he ever did manage to fall asleep, he'd squirm and cry out in pain.

Tomorrow was the day of the surgery. Amu knew it was tomorrow that she'd have to leave. Ikuto's life would be so much better without her in it. His step-dad had a bright future planned out for him that was sure to get him far in life. Amu knew she was just holding him back. Plus, this was the only way to ensure he could have a chance at living.

Kazuomi had planned the whole thing out. Before the operation, Amu would leave, and Kazuomi would tell Ikuto that she couldn't handle the stress and that she never really loved him, just that she was using _him for his money or something along those lines. Hopefully this would make Ikuto feel like he didn't have a reason for living since she was out of his life. This would make him not care if he got the operation. Originally he didn't want to get it because of the low chance of survival, but if Amu had left, then perhaps he'd just give up, since with her gone, he wouldn't care if he died._

It all sounded very complicated, but Kazuomi knew it would work. As much as she hated to, Amu knew she had to go along with the plan for Ikuto's sake. She needed him to live.

The pinkette hurriedly wiped a tear from her eye and rinsed of the razor, placing it back on the edge of the sink. Ikuto washed his face and pulled Amu into the strongest hug he could muster. He didn't know what he'd do without her. 

**End of Flashback**

Ikuto groaned while rubbing his face tiredly. He didn't understand what was happening to him. All of a sudden all these images would pop into his head. Images he couldn't explain. Something told him they had all happened before, but he couldn't remember.

It especially confused him that almost all these flashbacks or dreams, whatever they were – they all contained Amu. She was in nearly every single one. But... they had never met before...right?

He groaned again. Maybe it was someone who just looked like Amu. Or maybe these were all simply dreams that had nothing to do with his past.

Ikuto turned off the faucet and dried his face with a towel before emerging from the washroom, the smell of breakfast already filling his nostrils. He wouldn't put too much thought into it. He was thinking too much.

"Good morning!" Yoru greeted from his seat at the table.

Ikuto smiled and ruffled the boy's hair before taking a seat across from him. The omelet and steamed vegetables set out on the table triggered something else in his mind. Strange... he felt as if he'd had this exact breakfast once before, when a girl with honey-colored eyes was sitting across from him. But, he shook it off, knowing it was impossible since no one in his family ever cooked.

"Thank you for breakfast." He said to Amu as she sat down beside Yoru. He couldn't help but look at her differently. That dream he had about being in a hospital room with her made him confused. If it wasn't just an odd dream... then was it really a memory? "...We haven't met before?" He clarified.

Amu stopped in mid-bite, looking over at him. Trying to ignore her rapidly beating heart, she answered as calmly as she could. "No... not that I'm aware of." She replied with a shrug as she shook her head. "Why are you wondering?"

He shook his head and cleared his throat. "I don't know... just- I had a dream and... yeah, never mind." He then dropped the subject, going back to eating.

However, Amu suddenly lost her appetite. What was his dream about? Was she in it?

Before anything else happened, the front door opened and Tadase walked in with laundry detergent in his hand. "'Morning!" He acknowledged with a smile.

Amu instantly jumped out of her seat, running over to the blond. "I need to talk to you." She stated in a low voice before pulling him into the other room, making sure they were out of ear-shot.

"What's wrong?" Tadase asked , "Oh, and I brought the detergent you needed."

Amu thanked him quickly and took the container from him. "Wh-what would happen if he remembered?" She asked in alarm, making sure to keep her voice low.

"Who, Ikuto? Why do you think he'd remember?"

Shaking her head, Amu took deep calming breaths. "I don't know, I just have this feeling that he might remember, and if he does, I know he'll never forgive me for what I did. I had to say the worst things possible to him so he'd let me leave, I betrayed him, I hurt him in a way I never should-"

"Amu, calm down!" Tadase advised, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I know you didn't want to hurt him, but in order to get him onto the operating table, you had to do anything possible. Stop blaming yourself! It was for his own good."

It _was_ for his own good, but she could've come up with a different way to get him to agree to the surgery. She didn't have to hurt him the way she did. This is what she told herself every time she thought about that day.

"You do know it was to save his life, right?" Tadase questioned, staring Amu dead in the eye to make sure she was telling the truth.

She shook her head. "I could've done something else. I-"

"What could you have done? Really, Amu. Kazuomi had a plan, and I know that he would've made sure that no matter what, you'd be out of Ikuto's life." Tadase declared after checking over his shoulder to make sure Ikuto and Yoru were still at the table. "That was his plan: to get you out of his step-son's life. The only way that was possible was for you to do what he told you to. If you decided to do it a different way, he'd come up with an altered scheme to get rid of you. It wasn't your fault, Amu."

Realization suddenly dawned on the pinkette, whose honey-colored eyes widened at the thought. "If it was just to get rid of me... that means... th-that means he didn't care if Ikuto died from the operation! I'm sure he would've been relieved if that happened! That's why he wanted him to get surgery so badly."

Tadase sighed deeply. Amu didn't seem to understand what he was trying to tell her. They both knew that she had said things to him that she didn't mean, but that was only for the purpose of trying to get Ikuto to let her go.

"We should get you out of the house... maybe go stay with Rima for a few days." He stated.

Amu instantly shook her head. "You know I can't do that! She'd of course wonder why I couldn't just stay here, and I can't tell her that it's because of Ikuto."

"Wait... you haven't told her?"

"No, I haven't told anyone. You're the only one that knows that Ikuto's..." Amu lowered her voice, "Yoru's dad."

The blond slowly shook his head, also lowering his voice. "Why don't you just tell him?" He didn't see what the problem was.

"I can't. He doesn't remember anything and his life is... pretty much perfect as it is. I don't want to mess that up." Amu replied solemnly.

"Hey, hey, are the Hinamoris home?" A rather loud voice called from the doorway of the house. Obviously it was the one-and-only Souma Kukai. Funny, he should have been assisting Utau at the moment. He was rather skilled at sneaking away from her.

Amu walked down the hallway, halting in front of Kukai. "Hey, stranger. Did you stop by for breakfast?"

The brunette shook his head, eager to share his idea with everyone. "I was just thinking that, well, it is summer after all, so we should all go camping!"

Camping? Amu could already sense disaster.

**This chapter was more on the serious side.. as you can tell. Hopefully next chapter there'll be more humor. But, look! I updated quickly! YAY! **


	8. Camping Disaster

**Disclaimer: I do not own.**

Chapter: 8

"You know, Kukai, this is probably the stupidest idea you've ever had." Rima commented, kicking a small rock. "And you've had plenty of stupid ideas, so that's saying something."

Kukai examined the ground he had decided would be where they set up camp. "This isn't stupid, it's spontaneous!" He defended, dropping his tent on the dirt.

Amu shrugged. "Stupid, spontaneous... same thing." She had only agreed to the trip because Yoru wanted to go. Everyone knew Kukai's plans usually end up in disaster. And why did he suddenly want to go camping anyway? "...You're not hiding from Utau, are you?" She asked suspiciously.

Tadase looked at Kukai expectingly. "That would explain it."

The brunette shook his head quickly, looking all too innocent. "No, that's not it at all! She was fine with me not being around for a couple days, 'cause she was going job hunting and didn't need me there to 'make fun of her dreams'- as she called it."

Ikuto looked over at Kukai and paused the process of setting up their tent. "Why am I here?"

"Because this is a way of community service! Since you're helping me- the community - this counts towards your hours!" Kukai answered with a grin. "So, really, I'm helping you!" He then sat on the dusty, dry ground, beginning to help set up the tent he would be sharing with Ikuto.

Tadase shrugged and looked over at Nagihiko, who also seemed to like the idea of camping for a few days. Though they weren't sure why Kukai chose such a deserted place at the bottom of a mountain, almost two hours out of Seiyo.

They were even camping old style. Meaning actual tents instead of house-like cabins and no electricity. Kukai referred to it as 'embracing your inner woodsman'. Whatever _that _meant.

Nagihiko set down his rolled-up sleeping bag, letting Tadase get started on setting up their tent. "Tell me, Kukai, what's the real reason you suddenly wanted to go camping?" He asked skeptically. "You _are _trying to avoid Utau, aren't you?"

Kukai suddenly went rigid. He looked over his shoulder at his friend, cackling evilly. "Don't worry, I left her a note."

**Meanwhile...**

_Utau, I am on vacation. Don't try to find me. ~ Kukai_

He even added a heart at the end of his name.

Utau ripped the paper off of her door and tore it to shreds with her teeth. Flames of anger erupted from her body as her eyes went black, her hair turning into snakes and her teeth into fangs. "SOUMA!"

**Back to the gang...**

Kukai gazed up at the night sky and smiled. Finally, even if it was temporary, he was free from that woman. That scary, scary woman. He twirled around, watching his friends set up their sleeping bags. Yoru was already asleep and everyone else would follow shortly after.

The brunette then strolled up to Rima, slinging his arm around her shoulders. "How about we share a tent?" He proposed flirtatiously, wiggling his eyebrows at the petite blond.

Rima pinched his hand, making him yelp and instantly pull his arm off of her. "How about I throw you in the lake?" She muttered before walking away, crawling into the tent she was sharing with Amu and Yoru.

"Fine, I'll sleep with Ikuto."

Just the way he said that made Ikuto shudder and glare at the brunette as he entered their tent and dove into his warm sleeping bag. Being a city person, Ikuto found it rather difficult to sleep in a tent, especially if there was a dude next to him. He only hoped Kukai didn't roll around or do strange things in his sleep. That would make it more challenging.

Rolling up in his sleeping bag, Ikuto turned away from Kukai and let his eyes close. It was too silent for him to sleep, though. Well, besides the noise of Kukai rolling around, trying to get comfortable. But Ikuto was used to the constant sounds of sirens and other city noises. Being in the countryside was definitely a new experience.

"Would you stop moving?" Ikuto asked tiredly.

"Sorry, it's just hard for me to sleep with underwear on." Kukai apologized, continuing to squirm around in his sleeping bag, occasionally bumping into Ikuto.

"Well, you're going to!"

After a few more minutes of trying to withstand Kukai's restlessness, Ikuto unzipped his sleeping bag and dragged himself out of the tent, noticing a small campfire a few feet away, where Amu was sitting with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

He slowed to a stop beside Amu, taking a seat on the log next to her, making her jump slightly.

"Oh, hi." She greeted with a soft smile. "Not tired enough to sleep?"

Ikuto shook his head. "It's kind of difficult to sleep when Kukai's wanting to sleep in the nude." He commented with a disgusted look.

Amu laughed, looking in the direction of Kukai and Ikuto's tent. "Well, I'm not surprised. That seems like something he would do."

Glancing over in the pinkette's direction, Ikuto rested his chin in his palm. "Why can't you sleep?" he asked. He couldn't help but notice the glow from the fire made her eyes look even more beautiful.

She shrugged in response. "There's just... a lot on my mind."

"Like what?"

"Like.. Yoru, Yoru's dad, the past, and... the future." Amu replied softly as she shook her head, forcing a soft laugh. She was too caught up in her thoughts to do anything, really. Ever since the day before when it had dawned on her that Ikuto might end up remembering. She had no idea what she'd do if such a thing were to happen.

"I'm sure you'll sort everything out." Ikuto encouraged, staring off into the fire's flames. "And about the future, bravery can get you pretty far, so you have nothing to worry about."

Amu's eyebrows slanted downwards in confusion. "'Bravery'?" she repeated.

"You're brave, Amu. I mean, it's amazing how you were able to move from Tokyo and start a new life, raising a child by yourself. I know I'd never be able to do that." The blue-haired man explained, trying to imagine what it would be like to have a life like Amu's.

The pinkette blushed ever so slightly at the compliment. But that's when she realized something he had said. "H-how did you know I used to live in Tokyo?"

They both went quiet, the sound of them breathing and the crackling of the fire the only things audible. Amu was expecting him to say that Kukai or Nagihiko had told him, but when she noticed his silence, she changed her mind. Why wasn't he responding?

He furrowed his eyebrows at the question and looked over at her. "...I... don't know." He finally replied, looking just as confused as he sounded. How _did _he know that? No one had told him, and he didn't know much about her past. How he knew this piece of information was a mystery to him.

Pushing the incident aside, Ikuto asked, "Would you do it over if you could?"

Now it was Amu's turn to go quiet. Would she want to go back to graduation day and not meet Ikuto? Would she trade a different life for the one she had now with Yoru? Pursing her lips together, she shook her head. "Even though there are a few things I would want to do differently, I wouldn't change what happened." She answered truthfully. "I have too many memories I cherish."

Memories. Something Ikuto wish he had. "Memories like what?" If he couldn't have any, he'd at least want to know what other peoples' were.

"Like..." Amu began, exhaling loudly as she looked up at the stars, a smile slowly forming on her face. "My first date with Yoru's dad." She paused to remember everything that had happened. "We went to an amusement park."

_FIRST DATE_

"You know those were fake ghosts, right?" Ikuto teased as he exited the haunted house with Amu clinging to his arm. The amusement park was nearly deserted since it was closing in a few minutes, giving the couple some temporary alone time.

_Amu blushed, crossing her arms and pointing her chin in the air. "I was just pretending to be scared so you would be also." She replied stubbornly._

Ikuto smirked. "Oh, really? Well, I don't think it worked."

Searching for a subject change, Amu noticed a few people quickly climbing onto the teacup ride for one last time before the park closed. "Let's go to that one!" She exclaimed, pulling Ikuto with her as she ran to a pink teacup.

He barely fit, but somehow made it work. From that day on, Amu loved the color pink. Just because that was the color of their teacup. That was what started everything. It was at that moment, as she watched him complain about how small the teacup was, that she realized she was very much in love with Tsukiyomi Ikuto.

End

Amu smiled at the memory. Those were the carefree days. Before either of them knew of the tumor. Before Kazuomi drama, memory-loss and Yoru. She missed what it was like to be a teenager and not having to worry about too much. But she still wouldn't want to change a thing.

**oOoOoOo**

Kukai yawned loudly, stretching his arms in the air above him while rolling out of his tent. Fully clothed, of course. Rubbing his eyes, he noticed the two other tents, Ikuto and Amu asleep at the fire pit, and Utau hovering over him with violet eyes shining evilly and a night-mare worthy smile plastered on her face.

"Hello, Souma."

**Guess what! What? I think only 2 more chapters and Ikuto will have his memory back! Then lots of drama will most likely follow shortly after. Wakaka. **


	9. Rima Knows

**Chapter 9**

Rima shoved a thick folder under her arm and grabbed her cup of coffee. Trying to ignore the person with purple hair beside her, she walked out of her office, making her way hurriedly down the hallway. It was poker night once again, so she had to be quick if she wanted to make it in time.

The camping trip everyone had gone on was a disaster. After Utau had shown up, the host of the trip, Kukai, became a slave once more and lost all his energy to try to keep people entertained. It was amazing how even though no one wanted to be there, they ended up camping for nearly a week anyway. But since they were gone for so long, they missed last week's poker night. Tonight, they would make up for it by doubling the money they bet. Of course Rima wouldn't miss this for the world.

However, she didn't know what _he _was doing at the hospital. He always seemed to drop by her office whenever he had free time.

"Fujisaki, what do you want this time?" Rima asked, exhaling loudly as she pressed the button of the elevator. She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for it to arrive. But it seemed to be moving a lot slower than usual.

"I figured I'd escort you to Kukai's apartment." Nagihiko replied with his trademark smile. The smile that could easily make anyone fall in love with him. Well, everyone except Rima, that is. "I mean, who knows, perhaps you'd get lost on the way, or worse."

The blond glared at him, turning on her heel and heading towards the stairs at the end of the unbearably long hallway. She had to admit that she did think everyone would be going to Amu's place again, instead of Kukai's.

She remained as silent as possible as the two walked together. A few nurses giggled as they passed by, beginning to whisper to one another while staring at Nagihiko. Rima had to admit, he was decent looking. But _just _decent, nothing more.

Glancing over at him, she slowed to a stop. He was suddenly wearing glasses. "Why are you wearing those?" She asked, raising a brow at him.

"These?" He clarified, tapping the frame of the glasses. He then shrugged, smiling in embarrassment. "They make me feel smart."

Rima just stared at him deadpanned. She was contemplating whether to blush at how good they made him look or to roll her eyes and say something like, 'Typical' or 'Idiot'. Instead, she kind of did a mixture of the both of them.

She tried to hide a blush as she allowed him to walk in front of her with her tagging along, scoffing under her breath.

Mainly she was scoffing at herself, at how ridiculous she was behaving. Blushing? Honestly? And over Nagihiko too! The petite blond shook her head at her nonsensical actions. Someone must have slipped something into her coffee. Something that was invented for the purpose of making you feel like you were in an alternate universe.

Personally, Rima hated that feeling with a burning passion. But she couldn't stop staring at him. It wasn't the glasses that made her act this way, it was the realization of just how handsome he was. Inside _and _out. Funny how the person who didn't have glasses was seeing clearer now.

"Those are fake, right?" Rima questioned, continuing to watch him.

Nagihiko turned to look at her, surprised that she wasn't continuing to ignore his presence. "Of course. I only wish I could have glasses." He replied with a soft chuckle following shortly after. "Why do you ask?"

She shook her head quickly, staring down at her gooey brown coffee. "No reason." She was losing her cool. She could feel it. Her heart was racing, cheeks were coloring, palms sweating, vision blurring, she even nearly tripped over air.

It was amazing how such a realization could hit you so hard it made your head spin. It was especially shocking when it happened at such a random time. Like now, while Rima was walking through the hospital.

Shaking if off as lack of sleep and running on coffee for the past few days, Rima cleared her throat and fell down the stairs. Well, she would have if Nagihiko didn't quickly hold onto her arm and pull her back. The two watched her coffee cup go tumbling and spinning down the staircase.

Dang it. She really liked that flavor, too!

"...Thanks..." Rima said oh so quietly before making her way safely down the stairs, with Nagihiko prepared to catch her if she fell again.

He smiled at her. _That _smile. "Funny how even you can have those clumsy moments." He commented while opening the door for her that led outside.

She shot him a look. "What's that suppose to mean?" This time she made sure to look in front of her while walking on the sidewalk, just in case her feet decided to randomly turn and send her walking into a car. What's worse is that it would probably be a parked one, too.

"Well, if you think about it, the only person we ever witness being clumsy is Amu. Never anyone else, let alone you, of all people." Nagihiko replied, eyes gazing off in the distance as if recalling all the klutzy moments Amu had experienced.

Rima simply shrugged in response. Her hand slowly made its' way up to her chest, feeling her heart thumping loudly against her ribcage. Of course it had to start occurring when she was alone with him. If they were in a group, it wouldn't be as bad, she figured, since Nagihiko's attention would be on the others and not just her.

And why did it have to be him? Up until now, she had never really seen him in that light. She guessed it was because all it took for someone to see clearly was to have a pair of glasses to walk into your life.

She suddenly bumped into Nagihiko's back, making her realize that he had stopped walking since they were at Kukai's apartment building already. Then again, he didn't live that far from the hospital to begin with, so it shouldn't have been that big of a shock to her.

Rima took a step towards the building, but stopped once he called her name. She turned on her heel, struggling to make eye-contact.

"Are you free Tuesday night?" He asked.

_Thump-thump. Thump-thump. _She hoped he couldn't hear her heartbeat. Rima shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "Most likely. Why do you ask?"

Nagihiko's gaze wandered down to his shoes, which he suddenly found very interesting. "Do you want to have dinner?"

Slowly, she turned to face the apartment building once again, opening the entrance door. "Probably." She replied with a nod before scampering inside and up the stairs, plastering herself to the wall beside the door to Kukai's. "'Probably'?" She repeated to herself, squeezing her eyes shut and groaning. She couldn't have come up with a better answer?

She banged her head against Kukai's door instead of knocking. She definitely wasn't acting like herself. Usually she'd be calm and collected, but now, that went flying out the window.

A muffled, 'It's open!' sounded from behind the door.

Moving like she was a member of the living dead, she numbly pushed the door open, grabbing a seat next to Utau before Nagihiko could enter the room. What it was that made her so shook up was the fact that she had actually agreed to go out with him. On a _date. _She groaned once again, burying her face in her hands.

Utau arched an eyebrow at her friend then looked over at Nagihiko as he entered the room, automatically brightening it with the aura he had. Clearly he was in a good mood.

"Slave! Get back in here!" Utau bellowed.

Kukai booked it out of the washroom, zipping up his fly on the way to the table, stopping beside Utau. "Yes?"

The blond turned to look at him with a steady gaze. "Take a seat. The battle is beginning."

Ikuto, who was sitting across from Utau and Rima, smirked at the trembling brunette that sat down next to him. There was never a dull moment between those two.

The blue-haired male turned in his seat to face the living room, where Amu, Yoru and Tadase were watching an anime on TV. "You're not going to join us, Amu?" He asked as Utau dealt out the cards.

She looked over at him and shook her head, laughing at the invite. If he had remembered anything from his past, one of them should have been the fact that she was terrible at poker. The first time she played, she was trading cards with another poker noob, since he needed the ten of spades and Amu happened to have it. That just shows who's generous.

"Oh, right, you're atrocious at it." He commented with a smirk, turning back to the table. "Never mind. Yoru, you going to be on my team?" His eyebrows then slanted downwards as Yoru ran up to him, hopping onto his lap. How did he know she wasn't good at that game?

- **A COUPLE HOURS LATER-  
**  
Rima did a quick scan of the table, noticing Kukai desperately trying to hold back a smile, Utau grinning creepily, Nagihiko watching Utau, and Ikuto staring blankly at his cards. "I'm in." She stated while adding in a few of her poker chips.

Utau cackled evilly. "Well, I am in too!" She announced, pushing a pile of her chips into the center of the table.

"Same here." Kukai stated, about to pick up a few of his own chips when he caught Utau's warning eye. "Uh, n-never mind, I'm out." He folded his cards onto the table, knowing that if he had won that match, his fate would've been even worse.

"I'm in." Nagihiko put in some of his poker chips, while Ikuto did the same, sharing a mischievous look with Yoru.

"Alright, show me what you got!" Utau exclaimed as she looked over at Rima, waiting impatiently for her to display her cards for everyone to see.

The petite girl flipped her cards, placing them on the table. "Full house." She replied calmly. Much calmer than Utau would have.

Speaking of Utau... Her quiet laughs grew louder and louder with every passing second. She looked menacing. She smacked her cards down on the table, and proclaimed at the top of her lungs, "Four of a kind! I beat you!"

Nagihiko sighed deeply, not bothering to show his cards since his hand was nowhere near as good as theirs were.

They all turned to look at Ikuto and Yoru, who were whispering to each other. Ikuto nodded, giving his cards to Yoru, letting him flip them to show everyone.

They gaped at the sight.

"Royal Flush." The father and son stated in unison.

Utau fell on her knees dramatically, pulling her hair elastics out. "NOOOOO!" She had lost again. Even after hiring someone to teach her how to be the best player, she still lost. Lost to the newcomer, Tsukiyomi. Perhaps that was why he hadn't played with them any other times, 'cause he didn't want to show off his talents just yet.

Rima hid a smile as she looked over at Yoru and Ikuto, who were both smirking. Making them look... very much... alike. She furrowed her eyebrows. It was almost scary how their looks resembled each other. As she thought of it, their personalities were similar too.

The petite blond's eyes widened as she looked from Amu to Ikuto, then stopped at Yoru. He had Amu's eyes and kindness, and Ikuto's hair and his playfulness. It was almost as if Ikuto was Yoru's...

That was it! That was why as soon as Ikuto had arrived in Seiyo, he and Yoru bonded just like that. They shared a connection that no one could replace. Which was why Ikuto was always looking out for the boy, always making sure he was okay. It was his instinct.

His.. _fatherly _instinct.

Rima covered her mouth with her hand out of shock.

They had been father and son this whole time.

**Please let me know if there are any mistakes! I pulled another all-nighter for this chapter, so I'm sure there would be some errors. Time for sleep! MWUAH! Hugs to you and I hope you have an amazing day, 'cause you know what? You deserve it. **


	10. Dream Girl

**Chapter: 10**

Amu was speechless. She stood motionless, eyes unblinking as she stared at the colorful sight just a few feet in front of her.

When she had got up that morning in hopes of being able to ignore Ikuto at all costs, mainly 'cause she wanted to distance herself to get rid of any feelings she still had for him, she didn't expect him to get back from the construction site and tell her he had something to show her when the sun went down.

Don't go thinking anything perverted, now.

Of course she was confused, surprised, and worried all at the same time. Confused, 'cause she didn't know what he'd want to show her, surprised because it was spontaneous, and worried since going somewhere or doing anything with him might just make her fall even more in love with him. That was the last thing Amu needed.

If she could treat him like a stranger, she wouldn't be heartbroken when he returned home. Plus, if she continued acting like he was important to her, he'd most likely get his memories back.

But, this... being here made all her worries wash away. Now she knew why he wanted to show her this when it was dark. The lights wouldn't be as beautiful in the sunlight.

Amu couldn't believe where she was. The carnival. The carnival that was going to be torn down in a short amount of time. To make things better, it was empty. Completely deserted.

A ghost of a smile graced the pinkette's features at the sight of all the colorful lights on display. From the carousel to the haunted house, it reminded her all too much of her first date with Ikuto.

"Wh-what's this for?" Amu asked once finding her voice, turning to look at the male standing beside her, hands casually shoved in his pockets.

Ikuto took a few steps forward and spun around on his heel to face her. Scratching the back of his head, he glanced at his surroundings. "Well... my two months being here is going to be over in a week or two and I found out about how this would be taken down, so I figured it would be a good way of thanking you for letting me stay at your place." He replied. Clearly he felt weird, acting like prince charming and all. "Not that I just randomly thought of this place, but because you told me about how your first date with Yoru's father was at an amusement park...so..."

"So you want me to replace the bad memories of the past with good memories of the present?" Amu guessed with a smile. He was a romantic in his own way. Perhaps now whenever she went to a carnival she wouldn't automatically be overcome with sadness, especially at the sight of the teacup ride. Maybe now she'd remember this night and have happy memories instead.

"Never mind, this is too cheesy." Ikuto stated, beginning to hurriedly walk away. "Let's go back."

Before he managed to sneak away, Amu clutched his arm and pulled him back to her. "Please can we stay?" She asked. It wasn't everyday that she got to behave like a ride-obsessed child. She'd definitely make the most of this opportunity.

He took one look at her and sighed. "Why not?"

It was amazing what those two words could do.

He first got dragged to the Drop of Doom – he made a mental note to never go on such a ride ever again – then to a water ride, the carousel, a spinny-twirly thing that made him feel like vomiting, and after that he lost track.

It was at this moment Ikuto remembered how he never liked amusement parks or carnivals, whatever you wanted to call them. He would rather lounge around at home with a good book or play his violin while sitting on the roof of his house. It was a mystery to him how he managed to constantly get sucked into attending these carnival gatherings.

He now found himself in a little compartment on the ferris wheel with Amu sitting across from him. Ikuto smirked at how she was still a little paranoid at her surroundings since he had practically dragged her through the haunted house just minutes earlier. The effects still hadn't worn off yet.

"You know those were fake ghosts, right?" Ikuto teased, continuing to smirk at her.

Amu blushed as she crossed her arms and pointed her chin in the air. "I was just pretending to be scared so you would be also." Came her stubborn reply.

"I don't think your plan worked..." He drifted off but she didn't seem to notice. The feeling of dejavu suddenly smacked into him before he could finish his sentence. He felt like he had once had this conversation before... but he couldn't remember entirely. It was all a blur to him.

Fuzzy images rushed through his head. Lounging under a tree when someone fell on him, one of a stormy night with a girl, another he was checking in at the front desk of a hospital where a moody old lady sat, then to an image of waking up next to the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, and the final one was of him clutching his throbbing head as he fell to the ground, watching that same girl disappear out of sight without looking back.

Ikuto cringed, clenching his teeth together and squeezing his eyes shut. Why was her face always blurred? If he could see what she looked like, maybe that would make some sense of the images. Perhaps he could remember _something_.

But... whenever he saw... He looked back at Amu, feeling like something was missing. When he looked at her, he was almost convinced that she was the one in all his hazy dreams and memories. "Amu..."

The way he said her name instantly alerted her that this was going to be a serious conversation.

"I know I've asked this before, but this will be the last time." Ikuto added before continuing. "Are you sure we've never met before? We didn't know each other at all in the past?"

Amu could only stare at him. She wanted him to remember, but at the same time she didn't. Maybe it would be better if things stayed the way they were. If he never remembered. This was what was best for everyone. She shook her head. "No, the first time I met you was when you came here to Seiyo just a few weeks ago."

His eyebrows slowly slanted downwards in confusion. "You just... look a lot like this girl I keep seeing in dreams..." He could barely see this dream girl's face, but he knew she had honey-colored eyes and pink hair. "...and I have a feeling that she was very important to me."

Amu unbuckled her seat belt once the ride had stopped, and hopped out. They both knew it was time to get back to the house, since Tadase most likely didn't want to be babysitting Yoru all night long.

As they walked down the dark streets, Amu spoke once again. "I think that if this girl was so important, she'd come and find you." She stated softly.

Ikuto remained silent for a moment, recalling the flashback of him watching the girl walk away. "But... I think she left me... I don't know why, but-"

"Perhaps it's because you were never important to her, no matter how special you found her to be." Amu replied. "She could've only been dating you for popularity, or- well, I don't know. Girls are messed up these days." She then shook her head and exhaled loudly. "Anyone better have a damn good reason for leaving you lying there in pain."

Of course she remembered that day perfectly. But she couldn't turn back around to help him. Those were Kazuomi's orders.

This caught Ikuto's attention. He slowed to a stop as the two of them turned down another road. "I... didn't mention the part of me lying on the ground..." he said slowly.

Her heart started racing. How could she be so stupid as to let that slip? "I-I meant to say ' leaving you there in pain' because obviously if your loved one left, you'd be hurt." Amu quickly recovered, not even noticing the expensive car that was parked beside her house.

Still suspicious of her, Ikuto slowly nodded, following her up the steps to her front door.

She turned around to look at him and smiled. "Thank you for tonight. I had fun." She figured they had gone on every ride in the park. Besides the teacups, though. She didn't want to risk him remembering anything more.

He smiled back. Well, smirk-smiled. There was a huge difference to Amu between a smirk and a smile. "I think I enjoyed it too. Except the whole incident with me nearly getting flung off of that swinging pirate ship."

They both laughed as Amu pushed open the door, expecting to see Yoru and Tadase, but froze as her laughter stopped once seeing there was a third person.

The pinkette's breath hitched in her throat, eyes widening in horror.

What was he doing here?

* **Sheepishly * … hi guys... so uh... heh. I kind of decided to postpone the whole remembering thing. I'M SORRY. I'M SORRY. I'M SORRY. I just felt like it would be too rushed, you know? 'Cause that's the climax/main part of this story! Him remembering everything!  
****  
So, yeah... a few more chapters and the memories will be back, this I promise you. Maybe... uuuh... 2 or 3 chapters after this one. Yes. That I think will be a whole lot better, because I want to give you guys the best story possible (Well, knowing me, I won't be able to accomplish that, but I try!) 'cause you deserve the best! Trust me, I think it'd be a whole lot better this way.**

Once again, I'M SORRY!  
I love youuuu. Oh, and have fun going back to school! I know I'm already stoked! 


	11. Unwanted Guest

**Chapter 11**

You know you're scared when you can feel your heart straining to jump out of your chest while your ears block out all noises so all you can hear are the rapid beats against your ribcage as you start to get dizzy.

You know you hate someone when your teeth automatically clench at the sight of them and your eyes start burning with hatred.

Amu stood in the doorway of her house, experiencing all these effects. The sight before her made it nearly impossible to remain quiet. But, somehow, she did.

Yoru sat dangerously close to the man she hated so much. The only person she hated.

Kazuomi.

What business did he have in a small town like this? Why was he sitting next to Yoru? Did he know more than he should? Questions bounced endlessly through Amu's mind while she struggled to find the right words to say at a time like this.

"Dad? What are you doing here?" Ikuto asked, stopping next to Amu.

'_Dad'? _The pinkette repeated in her mind. _Since when was Kazuomi his dad? _She remembered Ikuto hating his step-dad for trying to take Aruto's place as his father. Just the sight of him would make Ikuto annoyed, not liking the fact that such a man even existed.

And yet, here they were acting like best buds. Amu didn't doubt this was a scheme Kazuomi came up with so Ikuto would follow his advice and take over the company, just like he wanted before the memory loss, back when Ikuto never listened.

Kazuomi took advantage of the loss of memory. It was a slate that was wiped clean. He just had to start over with his step-son and soon enough, he'd get his way.

Taking a quick glance at Amu, Kazuomi replied to the question. "I'm here to take you home." He stated before he stood up off the couch and folded his hands behind his back. "I managed to shorten your community service so you could get back on track with writing songs and being the famous violinist you are."

This took Ikuto off guard. His eyebrows slowly slanted downwards. "Why? I mean... there's only a few more weeks left and I'll be done. What's the rush?"

Amu noticed the look she received yet again from the older, balding man. "Trust me, son. It's time for you to return to Tokyo." Kazuomi stated, then turned to face the pinkette, his eyes boring holes into her skull.

"Oh, this is Hinamori Amu." Ikuto introduced, noticing his step-dad's gaze on the female. "She's the one I've been staying with."

Amu suddenly felt like she was in one of those dreams where you walk on stage in front of your entire school, then realize you forgot to put clothes on that day. All eyes were on her. Especially Kazuomi's.

"How nice." He commented through gritted teeth. "Might I have a word with you, Hinamori-san? I noticed something in your front yard that caught my attention. I figured it was dangerous, so I wanted to point it out to you."

She forgot how to breath for a split second. Her wide eyes snapped towards Tadase, who gave her a reassuring nod. If anything were to happen, he had her back. Amu looked back at the large man in front of her, hesitating for a moment, but nodded anyways. She then turned on her heel and stepped back into the cool outdoors.

The young girl shivered, though it wasn't due to the cold. Pulling her light sweater tighter around her, Amu stepped into the grass, walking away from the house so she could have the conversation she really dreaded.

The door seemed to slam shut and out walked Kazuomi, who slowed to a stop in front of her. She didn't dare make eye contact, but stared at the grass instead.

"This was all your plan, wasn't it?" He spat. "Once you found out Ikuto was coming here, you immediately offered to let him stay at your place, just so you could get close to him and start up something again. I won't have you screwing up his life just like you did before. He's finally getting somewhere, don't drag him down again."

Amu remained silent, letting him continue.

"And what is that thing in there, your child? He's.. what... four?" Kazuomi questioned. "And it wasn't even five years ago that you left. You sure move on fast. Already found another man and got pregnant. You really are a slut."

No matter how badly she wanted to, she couldn't say it was actually Ikuto who got her pregnant. That would just stir up more drama. And she was fine with being thought of as a slut. People could think whatever they want, they could say whatever they want, but that doesn't mean that those things are true. Don't let the rumors get to your head. Don't let them destroy you, just ignore them and you'll be fine.

"When I heard the news he was staying with you, I had to put an end to it. Don't get any ideas about trying to get him to remember you. He has a life. He's a somebody, unlike you."

Of course that's the reason he showed up suddenly. He always used to meddle in Ikuto's business, why would that be different now? Kazuomi had to know where his step-son was at all times, just so he could control his life. It made Amu sick.

Right when she thought Kazuomi's outburst was over, he started up again.

"Ikuto's been doing wonders for the business. Without him, Easter would be history." He took a step closer to her, quietening his voice so much it made Amu shrink back in fear. "Don't. Mess. That. up. Get back out of his life, before I take matters into my own hands to make sure you won't show up again." Once saying that, Kazuomi took a final look at Amu before scoffing loudly and charging back inside.

The girl slowly fell to the ground, sitting in silence. She felt tears brim her eyes as she covered her mouth with her hand to muffle her sobs. It hurt. It hurt that she couldn't defend herself or Ikuto, that she had to continue to lie to the person she loved, and that no matter what, Kazuomi would do anything in his power to get his way in the end.

It hurt that she could never be with Ikuto again. She was also terrified of what might happen if Kazuomi found out Yoru was Ikuto's son. He could easily use Yoru as a way of getting Amu to do whatever he said. He could threaten to hurt the small boy, or... Amu didn't want to think of what other things he was capable of doing.

Amu's head snapped towards the house after hearing the door open again. She closed her eyes and took calming breaths once seeing it was just Tadase. The blond crouched in front of her, not having to say a word and she felt better. He wrapped his arms around her petite form, letting her cling onto him and cry into his chest.

She always had to stay strong for Yoru. She could never break down in front of him or anyone else. But now, all the emotions she had bottled up in the past rose to the surface. The one that stood out the most was fear. She didn't want anything to happen to her son. And even though she hated Kazuomi, she had to wonder what it was that made him the way he was now.

Wiping her puffy eyes, Amu sniffled and stood up shakily. Tadase's warm hand held onto hers as he led her back inside, where Yoru was watching an anime. The other two males were nowhere to be found.

"They're packing Ikuto's suitcase." Tadase softly replied to Amu's unasked question.

She just nodded, not trusting her voice at the moment. Turning to the blond beside her, she smiled softly, reassuring him that she was okay now.

She loved Tadase. He was someone you could always rely on. He had also been her best friend since middle school. Without him, Amu didn't know where she'd be today.

Ikuto walked down the hallway with his suitcase. Kazuomi brushed past him, saying he'd be waiting in the car.

Yoru's eyes filled with tears once realizing what was happening. "Y-you're leaving us?" He hiccuped as Ikuto crouched down in front of him.

"Hey, I'll come back to visit soon." He guaranteed, brushing a tear from the boy's cheek before pulling him into a strong hug.

"I l-love you, uncle Ikuto." Yoru sniffled as they parted.

Ikuto smiled at him. "I love you too." He stood back up and shook Tadase's hand, both of them nodding as a way of saying 'farewell'. It was a rather typical thing for guys to act cool when saying goodbye.

But then there was Amu. When he saw her, he couldn't just shake her hand. He had to hug her. Staying with her made him realize just how hard some people had it in life. Single moms who overworked themselves just to put food on the table for their children was something Ikuto truly admired now.

He closed his eyes and inhaled her scent one last time. Like usual, it was strawberry.

In an instant, his head started aching as he seemed to be sucked into an alternate universe.

_flashback_

_The clouds hovering up in the sky were heavy and dark. The rain came down in buckets, drowning out all other noises._

_Ikuto glared through his wet hair at the girl beside him as they hurried back inside his dark apartment. She knew he hated water, yet forced him to run out onto his balcony with her anyways._

She simply grinned cheekily at him before going on her tiptoes so she could plant a small kiss on his lips. "I love you." She said honestly.

He smirked down at her, the smell of her strawberry shampoo filling his nostrils. "You better." He teased before capturing her lips. He pushed her against the wall, their breaths becoming heavier. His hands found the hem of her shirt and pulled it off as they moved into the bedroom.

End

Trying to shake off the sudden dizziness that took over, Ikuto cleared his throat awkwardly and ended the hug. The dream girl still had no face, but something told him it wouldn't be long until her identity was revealed.

"Well, I'll see you guys later." Ikuto said, stopping in the doorway and turning around to face the three. He would miss him. That he knew for sure.

With one last glance over his shoulder, Ikuto closed the door and walked towards the silver car parked at the side of the house. After throwing his luggage in the back seat, he climbed into the vehicle and went on his way back to Tokyo.

**You know... I'm really not liking Kazuomi at the moment. Ha-ha, wonder why. Anyways, so I had someone ask me to get a formspring account.. thing. So, I did! Apparently it's just a website where you ask a bunch of questions. ****Http: / www . Form spring . me / jackthepumpkin7**** That's the link! Just remove the spaces :) sooo yeah if you want, then ask me some questions! It can be about this story, other stories or just something random. See you guys later! God bless. **


	12. Here Without You

**Chapter 12**

Amu sighed contently, setting a plate of cookies on the table for Yoru and Miki before she slid into a chair next to Rima. Their card game was now paused seeing as how Utau suddenly ran to the washroom.

Ever since Ikuto left, Yoru had done nothing but mope around all day, which is why Miki was visiting. With Yoru finally happy once again and busy playing video games with his friend, it freed up time for Amu to hang out with the girls.

Stealing a glance at the female beside her, Rima rested her chin in her palm, elbow on the table. What had her stumped was how to tell Amu that she knew of her little secret. Really, how could one bring up such a topic? 'Hey, I know who your baby-daddy is' just didn't seem like the right way.

Usually Rima knew what to say and when to say it. However, this was new to her. It also surprised her how nobody else had figured it out. And she'd know if others knew, 'cause they wouldn't be able to keep their mouths shut. Especially Utau, being the gossip queen she is.

The blond's eyebrows slanted downwards. Perhaps that's why Amu didn't tell anyone. She didn't want to risk the word getting out and spreading all across Asia.

"...with Nagi?"

Rima zoned back in and apologized. "What was that?"

Amu chuckled at the behavior. It wasn't common for Rima to daydream. "I asked you how your date was with Nagi." She repeated.

The blond looked away again to hide her blush. "Oh, that." She spoke as if it was nothing. Shrugging, she replied, "It was fine. That was like.. days ago. Why are you wondering all of a sudden?"

"Just 'cause this is the only opportunity I've had to ask. I mean, the last time I saw you was last week at poker night." Amu replied, wondering why Rima was suspicious all of a sudden.

Slanting her eyes at the pinkette, Rima slowly nodded. "Okay..."

"Are you okay, Rima? You've been acting weird all day." Amu commented, feeling the blond's forehead with the back of her hand, much to Rima's annoyance. She didn't have a fever, she could've just told her that instead.

Rima sighed deeply, lifting up her glass and examining it. "I uh... I know about Ikuto." She spoke in a voice quiet enough for no one else to hear. After the words were said, there was silence, despite the occasional yell from Yoru or Miki.

"You know...? Oh, that he left?" Amu questioned before nodding. "Yeah, he did... but I thought everyone knew that already. Guess I was wrong. That's shocking, though, since news tends to get around really quickly around he-"

"No, Amu. I know..." Rima hushed her voice once again, moving closer to Amu. "I know that you and Ikuto were... _involved _at sometime in the past." She stated slowly, hoping the pinkette would be able to understand what she was trying to get at.

Still, the girl kept her mouth zipped tightly shut and it didn't look like she was going to speak anytime soon.

Sighing again, Rima rolled her eyes. Rip it off quickly like a band-aid. "I know Ikuto is Yoru's father."

It hit Amu like a boulder. How could she know? Was it the way she was acting while around him? Nonetheless, she forced a laugh, ignoring the fact that her heartbeat was echoing in her ears. "I-I don't know what you're talking ab- give me that." She reached for the glass of water, immediately downing it. "How did you find out?"

Rima shrugged. "How did I not find out sooner?" She retorted. "I mean, now that I know, it's pretty obvious when I look back on it. They do things the same way, they look identical – except for the eyes - but they even walk the same – you know, that certain cat-like strut."

The pinkette groaned and buried her face in her hands. Clearly her plan to not let anyone know of that small fact had failed.

"Wait a minute..." Rima began slowly. "Ikuto doesn't know, does he?"

Amu shook her head. "What was I suppose to tell him? In his perspective, I'm someone he _just _met. If I suddenly whipped around and said, 'Oh, I know I just met you, but this is your son that was conceived before your memory loss, so that's why you don't know either of us.' Yeah, somehow I don't think that would end up all that great."

Before any more words were shared, Utau burst through the bathroom door, rolling up her sleeves. She whistled and sat down. "That was a big one."

Rima and Amu groaned. They didn't want to know what she was talking about. Though they had a pretty good guess, anyway.

"Where were we?" Utau asked, mainly to herself as she scanned her cards. "Oh, right! I was pwning your guys' asses!"

Yoru suddenly walked up to the table, grabbed a cookie and sat on Amu's lap, sulking. "Miki cheated." He mumbled grouchily.

"Just because I won, doesn't mean I cheated. Duhh." Miki commented before folding her arms, standing beside the table.

Yoru just shoved a cookie into her mouth as a response in hopes it would keep her quiet for a few minutes.

Amu's smile slowly faded. Yoru was so much happier with Ikuto around. Now he was nothing but either silent or cranky. When he gave the silent treatment, it was scary how much he reminded her of Ikuto.

_Ikuto..._

When nighttime came around, Utau had managed to drink herself senseless after Yoru had gone to sleep and Miki went home. Rima just sat on the armchair with a magazine while Amu did the dishes.

Scrubbing at a plate, she found her thoughts once again turning to Ikuto. More specifically, to that one poker night when he insisted on helping her with the dishes. She could still remember the tingling feeling she got when she brushed hands with him.

Amu drained the water from the sink and dried her hands on a nearby towel before taking the stack of freshly washed cups. Walking to the cupboard on the other side of the small kitchen, she once again had to stand on her tiptoes to try to reach it. At her last resort, she climbed on top of the counter and shoved the cups into the cupboard.

Walking into the living room, Amu's eyes lingered on the couch. The couch Tsukasa put the passed-out Ikuto on when he first arrived in Seiyo. That was where she had first seen him again after all those years. It made her heart ache.  
_  
_She couldn't help but wonder what he was doing at that very minute.

**OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH. Yeah, I know. Lame chapter and all that basically served no purpose, but NEXT CHAPTER. That's the chapter! He will remember. DUN DUN DUUUUUUUN. Heh. Sorry... I just had a sugar rush, but I'm sane now. **


	13. Curiosity Killed the Cat

Chapter 13

The cheering of the audience became muffled as Ikuto hopped down the backstairs of the stage while the heavy curtains slowly closed, ending the successful concert.

He set his violin in its' case and took the towel a backstage operator was offering him. Whilst patting his face dry, the male began his long walk to the exit of the building, towards his car. It wasn't as easy to do as it sounded. First, he had to get through the swarm of fans that blocked his exit. No to mention, they'd of course continue to circle around him even when he went outside to the parking lot.

However, even before Ikuto managed to leave the backstage area that was swimming with electrical wires and people running a muck, his step-father got to him before anyone else could. And since it was Kazuomi that found him, Ikuto expected to be forced to stay a few more hours.

Being a part of _Easter Records _made Ikuto's future pretty much set in stone. He wasn't complaining, though, since he got to do what he loved – play the violin. Not to mention, he even got paid for doing such a thing, which was a bonus. That was exactly why Kazuomi had to make sure Ikuto's image stayed the way it was, so the fans would continue to love him. If no one was interested in him anymore, then no one would buy Ikuto's music, which was where Easter got most of its' profits. And that was something Kazuomi didn't want to lose.

It was after Ikuto's operation that Kazuomi had gotten the idea to change Easter into a music business. With Ikuto being the skilled violinist he was, everyone would be wanting to be signed with Easter. And those who weren't looking for fame were looking for good music, which they could purchase at any store. Whatever they bought that was Easter's merchandise would make the company's profits rise.

Kazuomi was surprised at himself for not thinking of all this sooner. This way Ikuto would actually _want _to be a part of Easter, since he could still play his music and not do 'Boring office work that would make you want to peel your eyelids off with a can opener' as Ikuto had once put it. Plus, he would have no problem with taking over the family business.

"...Just sign a few autographs, it will be fine." Kazuomi encouraged, taking the towel away from his step-son as he nodded behind Ikuto, where the door to the lobby was. Everyone knew that the fans would all be pressed up against the other side of that door. "Maybe even some pictures."

Sighing, the blue-haired boy shook his head. "I'd rather do it some other time. I'm tired enough as it is and rather hungry." He then patted his step-dad on the shoulder before booking it past him and out the back door. Knowing Kazuomi would be chasing after him, Ikuto sniggered under his breath and drove swiftly out of the parking lot.

All he longed to do now was go home and rest while having something good to eat. Preferably sweet, but not so unbearable that it pricked his tongue and stung his throat.

The thought made him cringe as he turned onto a busy street. Then again, in Tokyo, all the streets were busy. Being the largest city in the world with the greatest population, there wasn't a moment when a street was deserted. Unlike Seiyo.

A sad smile graced Ikuto's features as his thoughts turned to the small village. It took a lot of getting used to when he had first arrived there. Half the streets weren't even paved, they were just dirt. Plus there wasn't a skyscraper in sight. But, he had to admit, it was a nice way to escape the everyday bustle of the city he called 'home'.

Rolling down his window, Ikuto let the cool night breeze whip into his car. There was no place like home. It didn't matter if you were in the next city over, or just gone for a few days: being back in the city you grew up in always had a certain effect.

He rolled his window back up before slowing to a stop in the underground parking beneath his apartment building. It seemed like a mere amount of seconds later and he was throwing his keys into the bowl beside his door, dropping his violin case on the counter, and lunging for the fridge.

Ketchup, leftover noodles, sushi, strawberries, mikans- He stopped scanning and looked back at the strawberries, removing them from the fridge and placing them in a bowl. Now all he needed was his song book.

Ikuto picked up the bowl and took it with him into his room, where he sat at his desk and grabbed a pencil. It had been quite a while since he wrote a new song. He was long overdue.

After opening a drawer to take out his book, Ikuto stopped suddenly at the sight of a large wooden box sitting on the floor beside his desk. It wasn't there yesterday, or even that morning.

Frowning, the male crouched down beside it and fiddled with the lock. Realizing that wasn't getting him anywhere, Ikuto sat back down and picked up the pencil once again. All it took was the consistent ticking of the clock and the box visible in his peripherals for him to jump back over to the box and place it on his desk.

Curiosity killed the cat. But, he didn't care since his extended version of that saying was, 'But satisfaction brought it back'.

He then finally thought of that key that was on a chain, hooked up to the case of his violin. He had gotten it before his surgery, so he didn't remember what the significance of it was. He always thought it was just a useless trinket, but not useless enough to throw away, so he kept it. Maybe it opened this strange box.

It didn't take long for Ikuto to grab the key and return to his bedroom, instantly shoving the key into the lock. A soft 'click' made him feel triumphant.

He all of a sudden felt as if he were in a movie. Who knew what was in that box? Perhaps a human heart, or the secret for eternal life. He snorted. Yeah, right.

Casually lifting it open, Ikuto's eyebrows slanted downwards at what was inside. A laptop. Why, he already had one of those. But, he had to admit, whoever bought the computer in that box sure had excellent taste.

He pulled it out and set it on his bed instead of the already cluttered desk.

Ikuto frowned once the laptop turned on. The only account to select was labeled 'Ikuto'. So... that meant this laptop once belonged to him. Well, now this got him excited. Maybe he could remember more of his pa- Oh dang it. There was a password needed in order to log in.

_**Quite Some time later...**_

"I give up." Ikuto groaned, pushing the mobile computer away from him before he trudged back over to his desk. He was tired, hungry, and now frustrated. Not exactly the best combination.

He lifted a strawberry to his lips and chewed slowly, eyebrows knitting together, still pondering what his past self would've chosen for a password. He had tried everything that came to mind. He couldn't have been that different from five years ago, right? So, why was it so hard to think of such a simple thing as a password?

Ikuto reached for another strawberry, freezing his arm in midair. "Strawberry..." he breathed, recalling the scent of the shampoo a certain someone always used. He gazed over at the device sitting on his bed.

He slowly walked back over to the laptop, placing his pale fingers on the keyboard. He was actually feeling somewhat... scared. He had a good feeling that this attempt would be successful.

S-T-R-A-W-B-E-R-R-Y

Ikuto typed in, his finger lingering over the 'Enter' button. Finally, he pressed it, watching in silence as the account got logged into successfully. He couldn't resist the urge to smirk, "My little strawberry." he murmured to himself.

The first thing he decided to click on was the Internet, just to see which websites were opened last. They all had something to do with brain tumors. What the symptoms were, the percentage of surviving surgery, and other things along those lines.

"Well, that's just depressing." Ikuto commented as he exited the websites. He was about to turn the laptop back off when a folder caught his attention.

My Pictures.

His breathing became shallow as he clicked on the folder, sapphire eyes widening as he watched the contents open.

He was expecting family photos, maybe pictures of him on sports teams or something... anything but this. Amu. He did know her in the past.

There were all sorts of images of them together. Walking through a forest, playing in the snow, attending a family barbecue... There were countless of them. He skimmed through all of them until he froze in his place. An amusement park.

His head started pounding, his eyes being squeezed shut as he gritted his teeth. All memories started coming back.

_"I'm ...Hinamori Amu. What's your name?"_

_"I'm going to be with you through all of this. I know you'll be strong enough to make it through."_  
_  
__"You know those were fake ghosts, right?"_

"Her name is Amu? Ikuto, you can do better than that girl. Just one look at her and you know she's no good."

"You look too much like your father... son, I love you, I'm sorry, but I can't... I-I can't handle you right now."

"You're ruining my life, Ikuto nii-san!"

"That's Tsukiyomi Aruto's son. No doubt he'll end up just like his father."

"...Black cat. He doesn't belong here."

"I love you, Ikuto. I'm going to be here for you always."

Ikuto's eyes shot open, tears pricking and threatening to be shed. His hand covered his mouth as his eyes closed again, pushing the tears out, sliding down his cheek. It was now that he remembered _that_ day.

_Flashback_

He cringed when his eyes fluttered open from his restless sleep. Those hospital lights were really too much. They seemed to be placed there just so they could suck all your energy out and destroy your eyes in the meantime.

Ikuto yawned, sitting up in his squishy hospital bed. Just one scan of the room told him something was wrong. She wasn't there. But... she had told him she would always be there.

Normally, he wouldn't feel so protective and sensitive, but today was the day. The day of the surgery. In fact, he was positive he would be going into the operating room in just a matter of minutes. He had to see her first. But where was she?

Before any nurses could come in, Ikuto took off his hospital gown and pulled on a pair of jeans and a dark long-sleeved shirt before hurrying out of the room. He ran into his step-dad in the hallway.

"Ikuto, what are you doing? Get back in your room, you're about to get surgery!" He was using his controlling voice again.

Ikuto didn't pay attention to him, but continued to hastily gaze at his surroundings.

Kazuomi noticed this and put his plan to action. "If you're looking for that girl," he spoke as if chewing on something utterly disgusting, "she wanted me to tell you that she couldn't handle the stress any longer and that she had to get out of here."

He didn't believe a word of it. Ikuto was immune to Kazuomi's lies. "Where's Amu?" He questioned angrily through gritted teeth.

"I just told you! She left!"  
_  
Without wasting another minute, Ikuto ran down the hallway, past the elevator and to the stairs. He ignored his splitting migraine as he jumped down the staircases, skidding to a stop in the lobby on the bottom floor. She couldn't have left. She wouldn't have. However, with every passing second, Ikuto began doubting himself and believing his step-dad's words. But Amu wasn't that kind of girl. He knew her too much to allow himself to believe such a thing._

That's when he spotted her standing in front of the hospital's exit with... Tadase a few feet away.

Tadase had pulled up in a car and remained sitting in the front seat as Amu took a step to leave the building, but turned around to take one last look in the direction of the elevator.

When their gazes met, Amu's honey-colored eyes widened as she gasped, breathing out his name.

Ikuto hustled forward as the pinkette turned back around, hurrying closer to the door before he could catch up to her. He managed to stop in front of her, clutching one of her hands. "Wh-what's going on?" He asked, out of breath. His eyes searched her face for answers, but she refused to make eye-contact with him.

Instead, she tried releasing his hand from hers and push past him, but he grabbed onto her arm and got ahead of her again. "Amu! Where are you going? Please... y-you.. it can't be true. What he said isn't true!" What Kazuomi said had to be a lie.

Ikuto was at his breaking point. At his weakest. He knew he was going to fall apart if he didn't have her there to keep him strong.

"Amu... what are you doing?" He asked, forcing a laugh. "Just.. need fresh air, right?"

Finally, she looked at him. Her face expressionless and her eyes stone cold. "Let go of me, Tsukiyomi. I... I can't keep pretending anymore. Are you really dumb enough to not notice I never loved you?" Amu scoffed. "I'm tired of sticking around here, wasting my life away with some guy who'll must likely be dead in an hour!" She then shook her head, freeing her arm from his grasp.

She shoved past him, pushing open the door to the exit. Just when she was about to climb into Tadase's car, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her from behind. He buried his face into her hair, the strawberry scent permanent in his memory. "Please, Amu... please don't leave."

He was terrified for what lay ahead. So scared he didn't know if he could go through with it. He didn't want to in the first place. It was Amu that wanted him to get the operation to live longer. He couldn't help but think it was only to use him for his money, like so many others had done in the past.

"Amu, I love you so much. I can't do this without you."

Amu shook her head, rolling her eyes. She'd do anything to try to stop the tears from falling. She knew what she had to say to make him let her go. As much as she hated to, she did it to save his life.

"You really are just a useless black cat of misfortune after all. I don't know why you were even born in the first place."

_His hold on her suddenly loosened as his eyes widened. He had trusted her when he told her that he often wondered why he was born. She was the only one that hadn't said he was just a black cat that brought nothing but misfortune. But... maybe it was true. Maybe he was just a black cat._

The car suddenly sped away while Ikuto stood there in silence. He started to run after the disappearing vehicle, but his weak legs gave out, sending him to the ground. He felt a sense of trembling in his entire body and what felt like a cold wind blowing against his skin. What followed shortly after resembled a sudden jolt of electricity that shot from his feet to the top of his head.

A seizure. It was a common thing for brain tumor patients to experience.

"Ikuto!" He heard his mom cry out.

"IKUTO!"

Then all went black.

End of Flashback

Ikuto wiped his eyes, embarrassed. His gaze suddenly went stone cold once realizing something Amu 'forgot' to mention to him. He had an offspring.

Throwing his jacket over his shoulder, he grabbed his car keys.

_** - Seiyo Village –**_

"...Yes, yes, you're knowledge amazes me, Utau." Amu commented sarcastically with a laugh following shortly after. "Hey. If you're going to mock me, at least get your facts straight."

The pinkette rinsed off the cloth she was using and placed it back on the kitchen counter before resting on the couch. Finally, she could just relax. Perhaps watch a movie, seeing as how she was wearing the appropriate pajama attire for a movie night.

"Yoru? I already told you, he's at Miki's."

She picked up the TV remote and flipped through the channels. "Yeah, it _is _rather late, but I'm sure he'll be home soon, don't worry."

_Knock knock_

Amu looked in the direction of the door and turned off the TV. "Oh, Utau, there's someone at the door. I'll call you tomorrow? … Okay, goodnight. Love you too." She hung up the phone and dropped it on the couch before jogging to the door and opening it without hesitation.

Her eyes widened as her heart sped up. "I-Ikuto! What are you doing here?"

_**  
**_


	14. Reunion

**Chapter 14  
**  
Ikuto leaned against the door frame and simply smirked at her. "Cute PJ's. Can I come in?" He asked, gesturing behind her.

Amu blushed and gazed down at her gray t-shirt and pink bottoms with ducks on them. "Y-yeah, of course." She replied before letting him inside and closing the door behind him.

Ikuto took slow, long strides further into the house and checked out his surroundings. Everything seemed so different now that he had his memory back. And knowing Amu, this was definitely not the kind of wall color she would want. "So, I was just sitting in my apartment when I realized that I know barely anything about you! Care to answer a few questions?" He asked innocently after Amu sat back down on the couch. He remained standing.

She shook her head. "Not at all." Of course she found it weird how someone would drive all that way just to ask a couple questions, but she got the feeling now wasn't the best time to point something like that out.

He smiled. A little too innocently. "Good. First question: How old are you?" _22_ he answered in his head.

"Twenty-two."

"Interesting. Now, what's your favorite color?" _Pink._

Amu sent him an odd look but answered anyway. "Pink."

He nodded. So far she was passing, which meant he definitely did regain his memory. "Okay, what's your favorite fruit?" _Strawberries, though, technically they aren't a fruit._

"Strawberries."

The young adult hummed, nodding to her response. "Pretty good answers so far." He commented, glancing her way. "Now, earlier you told me that your first date with Yoru's father was at an amusement park, correct?"

Palms beginning to sweat nervously, Amu nodded slowly, wondering what all these questions were building up to.

"And he was the only person you've dated?"

She nodded again silently.

Ikuto stopped pacing and stood in front of Amu, his fake smile slowly fading. "Well, that's all just great. Now, here's what I came here to ask: Who's the father of your son, Yoru?" He asked, dangerously low, watching her facial expression change.

Amu opened her mouth to reply but closed it again. He was on to something, she knew it. But, she didn't want to lie anymore. She couldn't keep hiding the truth from him. Before she could answer, he continued.

"Oh, wait! I already know the answer to that!" Ikuto exclaimed with a forced laugh. "It's me!"

Those two words made the pinkette's heart nearly stop beating as she forgot how to breath. "...Wh-what are you-"

"Oh, Amu, enough." He groaned while shaking his head. "I remember _everything_. And the answers you provided just now, make my assumptions about Yoru being my son correct. First of all: I took you to the amusement park on our first date. Secondly: I'm the _only_ person you've dated. And also, Yoru looks identical to me! I noticed it instantly, but refused to look too much into it since I apparently hadn't met you before! Which I believed, thanks to you and your spectacular lying skills."

Seeing him like this made Amu's heart shatter. She knew he was in pain and she yearned to let him know the truth. To tell him that as much as she wanted him to be apart of Yoru's life, it could never have happened. "Ikuto, it's not what you think-"

"'Not what I think'?" Ikuto repeated with a scoff. "I think I've missed out on my son's life! Sure, most people wouldn't see what the big deal is, since he's only four and he's got many more years to come. But I missed out on all the important things! Like his first words, when he was just learning to walk, the pregnancy, his first birthday, his first day of school- everything! I'm not even recognizable as a relative to him. To him, I...I'm just a stranger." He shook his head, cold eyes boring holes through Amu's skull.

"And it's because of you. Because you were put under too much pressure when _I _was the one who had the brain tumor. _I _had to go through it alone while you ran off with your precious _Tadase _to live a wonderful life out here without even stopping to have a second thought about me. And I bet you knew, even before you left, that you were pregnant, yet you refused to tell me because that would create a reason for you to stick around."

Ikuto sunk down into an armchair and held his head in his hands, taking deep breaths to calm him down. It wasn't like him to explode in anger, but when years of missing memories suddenly came flooding back, it was hard to keep anything bottled up inside.

At this point, Amu couldn't make eye contact with him. What he was saying was so.. true. So true that it hurt. It pained her to know that she could've stood her ground and stayed in Tokyo to support Ikuto through everything. That way he could've been around in the earlier stages of Yoru's life.

"I want Yoru."

Amu's head snapped up, her wide eyes instantly looking at Ikuto. "What?"

Ikuto closed his eyes and sighed. "I want custody over Yoru."

_Knock knock_

Custody? Amu didn't want to imagine what it would be like without her son around. Even if it was just for a couple of days a week. Knowing how Ikuto was, Amu had a good feeling he was talking about full custody, not shared. She couldn't let him take her son away from him.

It took a moment, but Amu finally stood up and opened the door, letting Yoru fly inside, immediately rambling on about his visit to Miki's house.

"... but then we had to hide under the sink before her brother could find us, or we- Uncle Ikuto!" He exclaimed with a grin, running over to give Ikuto the biggest hug he could muster. "I missed you so much."

Ikuto smiled softly at the boy. "I missed you too." Now as he looked at him, Ikuto couldn't help but feel like this was a completely different boy than the last time they were together. This was his son, not just some random person's kid.

"What are you doing here?" Yoru asked curiously, his large eyes gazing up at his dad.

Amu and Ikuto sent glances in each other's direction. It'd be hard to suddenly drop the bomb on Yoru, telling him that Ikuto was his dad. The young boy probably wouldn't understand right away, or be confused as to why nobody had mentioned it earlier.

"Well..." Ikuto began slowly, kneeling in front of Yoru. "I've actually come here to ask you something." He stated. Yoru nodded, impatiently urging him to continue.

This sparked Amu's attention, instantly thinking of all the possible questions that could be asked.

"Do you want to come live with me in Tokyo?"

The pinkette's breaths became shallow as her eyes widened. He couldn't be taken away from her. She needed her son to be in her life, in her house, and not in a different city.

Yoru automatically looked over at his mom, then frowned as he turned back to Ikuto. "Can mommy come with us?"

Truth be told, Amu hated that idea even more, and she could tell Ikuto felt the same way as he glanced over at her and scratched his neck.

"Uh..."

"Please!" Yoru begged, clutching onto Ikuto's hand. "I can't go anywhere without mom! Please, please, please can she come too?"

The older blue-haired male was silent as he and his son had a staring contest. Letting Amu move in too would mean having to be around her 24/7. But if she didn't go then there was no way Yoru would want to leave Seiyo.

Ikuto exhaled deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. "Alright, she can come too." He replied reluctantly.

Amu just knew she didn't get a say in this. She couldn't bring herself to say no, just because she knew that now wasn't the time to be selfish. Slowly, she nodded. "Okay... sure, I will."

Almost as soon as she agreed to the unbelievable plan, she regretted it. It was hard enough being in the same room as him, but _living _with Ikuto? That was a whole new story. Especially since Kazuomi would soon find out about it. But that was at the bottom of the pinkette's concerns. She found it hard to believe that she would be moved back to the big city in a number of days and have to share an apartment with a man that hated her.

Amu rolled her eyes. She could hardly wait.

**I'm so excited! I finally, and I mean FINALLY got my time table for school! Whoot! I'm gonna be taking on two language classes and English honors! Ooh I wonder if we'll be writing short stories again! I love it when we do! So, here's a question for you, what are you looking forward to most about school? I'd have to say my German teacher. Oh gosh, he's the funniest guy around. **


	15. Things left Unsaid

**Hey guys! Sorry this took a while for me to update. I've been busy doing nothing. Yeah... I know. First day of school tomorrow! So I might not update in a while, judging by the amount of homework I get this week. Next chapter will have some improvement in Ikuto and Amu's relationship!**

Chapter 15  
  
The way Utau went on and on about some hot guy at work made Kukai want to slice his ears off. He was beginning to regret the day Utau got a new job, especially since this Tamaki guy worked there too.

The brunette had been Utau's slave for so long, he had lost track. And now he wanted freedom more than ever.

He sat on the couch – rather, a pile of clothes on the couch – beside Utau, and continued painting her toenails a vibrant purple that matched her eyes. He was beginning to wonder if she'd notice if he started painting her leg instead. That was unlikely since she was still sharing news that Kukai could care less about.

"...not to mention the way his hair swoops in front of his eyes while he's talking to you." Utau sighed dreamily while placing her hands on her chest, batting her eyelashes.

Kukai tried not to gag as he cleared his throat. Standing up from the couch, he wandered into the kitchen to grab something to eat from the fridge. Wrinkling his nose up in disgust, his emerald eyes scanned the shelves of old milk, empty egg cartons and vegetables. He decided on a piece of celery and sat back down.

"Are you sure you want to be a waitress?" Kukai asked in hopes of changing the subject. "I mean... you could be in fashion designing or... or anything you want! You can do so much better than serving people their food and taking orders!"

Utau took this into thought as she gazed up at the ceiling. "'Fashion Designer'?" She repeated, placing her finger on her chin. "I've never thought of that. Oh! I do have a few sketches!" She announced, throwing herself off the couch and into her room.

She came back within a number of seconds with a sketchbook in hand. "Check this out." She said while whipping it open and placing it on Kukai's lap. Her finger was eagerly tapping on a picture of a wedding dress.

Kukai's eyes slowly widened in amazement at the sight of the image. It was clear that she had been working on the design for quite some time.. maybe even a few years. It had so much detail to it. He could definitely see that being a hit in all bridal shops.

"That's... unbelievable, Utau." He commented, still transfixed with the picture to notice Utau's eyes widen as her face colored.

"Y-you said my name." She pointed out. "You never say my name."

Kukai honestly didn't see what the big deal was as he looked over at her, resisting the urge to shrug. "Yeah.. I guess I did." He said uncomfortably, still not knowing what the significance was of such a little thing.

Utau, however, was about to have a panic attack. To members of the female species, if a boy who was important to them said their name, it'd feel like they were racing up a rainbow, landing on cloud nine. Not that males would ever understand this, though.

"Have you ever considered going to a fashion school-type-thing?" Kukai questioned while scanning the few pages that had sketches engraved on them.

The blond instantly shook her head, laughing as she picked the book back up and put it in her room. "It's just a … hobby, I guess you could say. If anything, I'd want to be a singer." She replied, resting on the couch once again, propping her legs up on Kukai's lap so he could finish painting her nails.

Kukai nodded, understanding what she meant. "I think you'd be able to do whatever you set your mind to." He said honestly, looking back over at her.

After a brief minute that felt like an eternity to her, Utau broke the eye-contact before she could blush again. "Oh, that reminds me! Tamaki said that there was this bar he knew of that allows anyone to sing or tell jokes at!" She exclaimed happily. "I know I'd be able to trust his word." She then giggled again at the thought of him. "He's just so... amaz-"

"I have to go." Kukai's teeth clenched together in irritation as he set the nail polish down, jumping off of the sofa towards the door.

"Hey, hey!" The blond called out, "You're my slave until I dismiss you."

Grip tightening around the doorknob, the brunette whipped around to glare at Utau. "No, I'm tired of being your slave just because I beat you at poker 'cause you suck at it. Get over yourself. Don't expect me to always be there to do everything you're too lazy to do! Yeah, I know this is surprising coming from me, but I'm not the happy-go-lucky person that has no depth, even though I appear to be. I'm a person too, who has feelings. I'm tired of you never respecting me and I'm also tired of hearing about your precious _Tamaki. _If he's as amazing as he sounds, go push him around." He then threw open the door and disappeared out of sight, leaving a speechless blond behind.

"...Ku-Kukai..." She spoke softly as her hand reached out to grab nothing. That was the first time she had ever seen him without a smile on his face.

**oOo**

Amu found herself sitting in the middle of the zoo on an uncomfortable wooden bench next to Kazuomi. Yoru had gone to the washroom with Ikuto just minutes earlier, leaving the two alone in an awkward silence.

When Yoru first found out about Ikuto being his father, he was at first confused, and asked why no one had told him before. Other then that, he had reacted pretty well and was instantly excited to learn that he had a dad after all. Kazuomi, on the other hand, was not happy. He had said that when he first met Yoru in Seiyo, he refused to even think of the possibility of him being his step-grandson.

Clearly he wasn't all that fond of the new discovery.

It was hard to believe something could get any more awkward than that moment-of-truth hour. But, that thought was corrected when Amu found herself at the zoo on that bench. No one spoke a word. No one wanted to.

It being his first time to the big city and since he would now be living there, Yoru wanted to visit all the fun places. He had finally decided on going to the zoo to see all the animals he had only seen in pictures. Being the kind-hearted boy he was, Yoru instantly invited his grandpa to come along to share the exciting experience. Kazuomi couldn't exactly refuse the invitation.

"Mom, mom!" Yoru called, letting go of Ikuto's hand and bouncing over to Amu after returning from the washroom. "We passed the giraffes!" He squealed in excitement.

"No way!" Amu exclaimed, getting an energetic nod out of Yoru before she found herself being pulled off of the bench. Her son clutched her hand and reached out for Ikuto's too, smiling bashfully to himself at the realization that he had two parents like everyone else.

The small boy pulled the two over to the turtle cage, where he let go of their hands and tugged at Kazuomi's shirt, trying to get his attention. "Look, grandpa! Look at that one!" He pointed to one that was stuck on it's back, incapable of getting back up. "That's you." He giggled.

Kazuomi sent him a look. "Watch it."

Yoru nodded in response, baring a proud smile. "His shell is his tough exterior, but inside he's a softy!"

The grandpa rose an eyebrow at the younger boy. "How are you so smart?" His eyes then flickered in Ikuto's direction. "Well, I know who you inherited that from." He said quietly to himself.

Spotting the lions, Yoru took off in an instant, yanking Kazuomi along with him, leaving Amu, once again, alone with someone who hated her guts.

It was bad enough living with the guy, but being forced to spend the day out with Ikuto was something Amu would rather not do. She felt trapped. She couldn't go home, because that would mean losing Yoru. Who was she kidding? The place she now called 'home' was Ikuto's apartment. She couldn't even leave the house without Ikuto assuming she was running away.

Tokyo wasn't a place that held good memories, that was for sure. Amu just wanted to return to Seiyo. She had been in Tokyo for about a week now and that was plenty of time for her. Not to mention she wanted to have her own bed back. Yeah, she shared one with Ikuto. The awkwardness level had lowered somewhat since the first night, but it was still uncomfortable having to share the same bed as him.

But, she was doing it for Yoru. She wanted him to have a loving family, because he deserved to have one. Meaning Amu had to swallow her pride and pretend that things were fine between her and Ikuto, even if it was the opposite.

She awkwardly gazed down at the jacket she was holding in her hand, belonging to Yoru. Just when she was about to make up an excuse to leave, Ikuto spoke.

"We should start looking for schools for him." He stated while watching his son carefully.

This caught Amu's attention. She looked over at the male beside her, bewildered. "Wh-what?"

She was almost positive she saw him roll his eyes. "He needs to go back to school, right? It's already September, so school would've started by now. Plus it'd be a way of keeping you two here, so you won't run away again." He glanced over at her when he said the last part, making Amu instantly look away.

She wanted him to know why she left. The truth. But at the same time, she didn't want to blame it all on Kazuomi, even if it meant Ikuto having the wrong impression on her. She tried to convince herself that she didn't care.

But at the same time, she knew differently. Her heart ached to have the relationship they once had.

**So I've decided to ask another question 'cause I love learning more about you guys! Haha**

Q: What movie would you say is a classic for you? (One that you could watch over and over and it's still amazing)

My answer would be You've Got Mail with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. It's such an awesome movie, words can't describe. If you haven't seen it, I recommend it entirely! I was even watching it while typing this chapter, in all honesty. Haha _ Yeeeaaah I'm cool like that. 


	16. The Truth Will Set You Free

**Disclaimer: I do not own**

Chapter 16

"You're going to America?" Souko repeated, puzzled. She watched her son walk around to the side of her bed and sit down next to her, nodding. To say she was confused would be an understatement. "Wh-why? And have you told Amu?"

Ikuto laughed humorlessly. "I told her yesterday. Don't worry about her, I'm sure she's hardly able to contain her excitement to be rid of me." He stood back up and pushed open the curtains, letting the bright sunlight filter through the blinds and into his mom's bedroom.

Souko frowned as she gazed down at her hands folded in her lap. He still didn't know. She could only imagine how hard this was on Amu to continue to keep the secret away from him. Souko herself wasn't entirely sure of all the details about what had happened, but she knew for sure that Amu didn't leave on her own will.

"God must be playing a sick joke." She heard Ikuto mumble under his breath, continuing to stare out the window.

"Why is that?" Souko asked curiously. Her son turned back around and sat beside the bed once again.

"Just that he first gives me a tumor, making Amu leave, then I lose my memory, a few years later I meet Amu again, then I remember everything and end up being tortured once more." Ikuto shook his head. "Who was the idiot that came up with the idea of sending me to that stupid Seiyo Village anyway? You must know! Tell me so I can go k-"

"It was me."

Ikuto went dead silent as he stared at his mom. His own mother was the one responsible for sending him to Seiyo, making him remember the past he would rather leave forgotten? "I-it was you?" He repeated softly.

Sighing, Souko nodded. "After I did some research and found out where Hinamori Amu lived, I suggested to the judge that you complete your community service in a place that truly needed it, like Seiyo Village. He seemed to like the idea – and the money I bribed him with – and sent you there instead of West Tokyo where you were originally assigned to work."

The young male sitting beside her was still speechless, trying to grasp the fact that him meeting Amu was all planned.

"I then contacted the man in charge of the Village, Tsukasa-san, I believe was his name, and asked him if there was someone loyal to the community who had a free room for you to stay in. He listed off a few names and I was in luck when he mentioned Amu was one of them, so I chose her, of course." Souko continued. "I-Ikuto, please don't be mad at me! I did it for your own good! Plus, I want to be in my grandchild's life. Don't you want to be with your son?"

"Of course I do." Ikuto replied defensively. "But... it's her I can't stand."

"...You're angry with her?"

"I hate her." Ikuto hissed darkly, refusing to make eye-contact with the blond woman.

Souko chuckled softly as she shook her head at her child's nonsense. "No you don't-"

"What kind of person doesn't tell the father of their baby that they're pregnant?" Ikuto exclaimed with an angry huff and a roll of his eyes following after. "Look, mom, I know you like her-"

"'Like'? Honey, I _love _that girl! I always have and you always have too!" Souko pointed out. "I've adored her ever since I met her. Do you remember that day? She wanted to meet me but you didn't want her to. Why didn't you? Did she embarrass you?"

The blue-haired male shook his head, beginning to get defensive. "Of course not. I just... I didn't want Kazuomi to know about her." He spoke through gritted teeth while thinking of his step-dad. He had never liked him, and now he hated him even more ever since he got his memory back and realized Kazuomi was pretending to be his dad and using him to bring in more profits for the stupid business.

"Why not?" Souko pressed, trying to make him realize how he truly felt about Amu.

Ikuto was silent for a few moments, making the whirring of the fan on the ceiling seem louder than usual. "I knew he wouldn't approve. So I didn't want him to know 'cause I … I didn't want her to get hurt." He finally confessed.

"Well that plan failed, now didn't it?"

"What are you talking about? You think I hurt her when she left me? Oh, please, she wasn't hurt by that. It was her own choice-"

Souko tried her best to hold it back, but failed miserably and released a scoff as she rolled her eyes. "Is that really what you think? Well, now there's where you're wrong. It wasn't her choice to leave. Does that honestly sound like something Amu-chan would do? Ikuto, you know her better than anyone. It should be pretty obvious to you when she's acting weird or suspicious."

"I know she was acting... differently... but why else would she have left?"

Silence once again consumed the room as the two relatives found themselves being pulled into a staring contest with one another. Neither of them knew the answer to that, but Souko had a feeling she knew someone who did. "You don't know anyone else who would know the real reason she left?"

Ikuto still remained clueless to what she was trying to hint, so she gave up. She'd rather have him figure it out himself instead of her having to straight out tell him who would know the truth, besides Amu.

"So, pops. How's your son?"

The new subject made a smile tug at the ends of Ikuto's lips. "He's good. He went with Amu to spend the day in Seiyo." He replied, walking over to the coffee maker at the other end of the room.

Being on bed rest for the past few months due to her fragile state, Souko finally decided to just leave the coffee maker in her room instead of having to bother people to help get a cup for her in the kitchen. Ikuto thought it was a fine arrangement. This way they could continue their conversation instead of him leaving the room for coffee.

Grabbing a mug full of freshly poured coffee, Ikuto waltzed back over to his ill mom and handed it to her before grabbing his coat off of the edge of the bed and throwing it on. Surprisingly it was raining outside. The drought was finally over.

"Well, I should get going." Ikuto decided, bending his upper body to kiss the top of his mom's head. "Get better soon."

Souko snorted and watched her son walk to the door. "Yeah, if I could do that, I would've ages ago." She commented after taking a sip of her coffee. Before Ikuto could leave the room, Souko quickly called after him, desperate to drop one more hint to help him know who to ask to get the truth behind the whole event. "...How is dear Tadase-kun doing? Could you say 'hi' to him for me?" She asked innocently.

The blond could've sworn she saw his blue eyes widen at the realization. "He's... good." He replied slowly, opening the door. "I'll phone him and tell him you said 'hi'."

Once the bedroom door closed, Souko smiled and leaned back against her pillow, closing her eyes. Everything would be worked out now. After Tadase spilled the beans, (which he would, of course, being the innocently honest person he was) Ikuto would finally know the truth.

**OoOo**

Tadase rose a hand to his mouth to cover a yawn as he shuffled into his kitchen, pulling open the fridge in search for orange juice. Not long after the door of the fridge was opened, his eyes wandered down to the puppy dog slippers on his feet. It was now he decided it was about time to get a new pair.

Wandering away from the fridge, forgetting entirely about his juice, the blond's ruby eyes flickered to the stove's clock, its red numbers telling him it was nearly six in the evening. His nap had lasted longer than he had originally planned, but he shrugged it off and looked around his cozy kitchen. What did he want from in here again? He had completely forgotten. He hated when that happened, because that meant he'd remember right when he sat down somewhere and got insanely comfortable, only having to get back up.

He groaned under his breath and wandered into his living room, deciding to kill time by watching TV before Amu came by to drop off Yoru. Once again, Tadase had offered to babysit the young boy so the girls could all get together to have a chick-flick marathon.

Tadase didn't mind. He loved spending time with Yoru. It was always interesting to hear the boy's dry comments about the lame shows that were always on the television that 'sucked the life out of human beings' as Yoru put it.

Right when a commercial for oranges came on, Tadase remembered what he wanted from the kitchen. He was thankful that he at least wasn't already curled up in his blankets yet. Just after opening the door of the fridge once again, the phone rang.

Mentally telling himself to remember to pour him a glass of juice, the blond hurried to grab the phone, tripping over a chair in the process and landing on the ground as he wheezed out a soft 'Hello?'.

_"Tadase, is that you?"_

He recognized the voice as Ikuto's. Remaining on the ground, Tadase sat up straight and cleared his throat. "Of course it is. What do you need?" Almost as soon as the words left his lips, he regretted it. It was now that he decided to quickly list off all the reasons Ikuto would want to talk to him, and he didn't like the thought of either one of the ideas.

_"You've been best friends with Amu for... ages, right?"_

"...Yes..." He replied hesitantly, not liking where this was going.

_"So you know everything about her? Including all the secrets she keeps from everyone else?"_

The blond awkwardly cleared his throat. He'd rather not answer that in fear of what the next question was. Nonetheless, he said, "Yes..."

_"And if I asked you something, you'd tell me the truth?"_

Tadase wanted to drop the phone and hide. He knew what question would be next. "You still don't know what happened five years ago, do you?" He guessed, raising an eyebrow even though Ikuto couldn't see him.

There was silence, which he figured was a good time to start explaining. Taking a deep breath, it all kind of came out at once. "Five years ago, Amu was in love with you, like, madly in love. It was also five years ago that Kazuomi figured she would only drag you down, so he decided to threaten her to leave you and never return to Tokyo, that way you could pursue a good career without her around. About a month after she left, she found out she was almost three months pregnant, but she couldn't tell you because she was scared of what Kazuomi would do, also because she believed what he said, agreeing that she would only hold you back if she returned to your life. Amu kept this all a secret from you and continued to lie to protect Kazuomi because she figured he had good intentions and thought he only wanted what was best for you." He inhaled a deep breath after his story was done, letting his head roll back so it was leaning against the couch behind him.

The other line was still silent.

"...What she said to you that day, about her not loving you and you being nothing but a black cat," Tadase began softly, "she didn't mean it. In fact, right after she had gotten into the car, she burst into tears. … It hurt her just as much as it hurt you. And having to continue to lie to you is just as painful."

The blond spoke while walking back into the kitchen, pausing in front of the refrigerator. Didn't he want to get something from there?

A knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts. It was Amu dropping off Yoru. "Look, I've got to go. I'll talk to you later. Oh, and for the record, for a smart guy, you're not that smart if you actually believed Amu _wanted _to leave you." He said before quickly hanging up.

Before answering the door, Tadase turned back to the fridge, his eyebrows slanting downwards. What on earth was it that he kept forgetting to grab?

**I'm sorry for the delay! It wasn't due to homework, but writer's block! I didn't know if I wanted to torture you guys by making Amu and Ikuto continue to argue or just hurry up and get it over with. I then decided on this, and I must say, I love Tadase in my story. AHA! That sounds so egotistical but seriously, I hate it when people make stories with him being some evil person who'll do anything to steal Amu away from Ikuto, including raping her. It's terrible! Tadase is such a nice person! Ahem.. I've gotten carried away. Love you all! Have a great week and I'll see you soon, beautiful people!**

Sheldon Cooper FTW 


	17. The Challenge

**Heyyy... it's.. been a while. Slightly. I've seriously lost interest in Amuto! :O Crazy, I know! Of course I'll finish this story.. but I might retire from the Shugo Chara category of fan fiction. Hopefully I'll change my mind, but you never know. **

**Chapter 17**

Utau was intoxicated. So much so that she could only roll around on the floor while quoting romantic movies, much to the peculiar distaste of Amu, who was stuck babysitting the grown woman.

What had originally started out as a girl's night ended up being a night where Utau could mope around Amu's apartment, wallowing in self pity and complaining about how she missed Kukai.

Rima was invited to come along to partake in the wondrously exciting evening, but she declined the offer, stating that she had a date with Nagihiko that night. Utau called her a traitor for choosing dicks before chicks, but that had made no impact.

"... I miss himmmm." Utau whined, sliding her voice up and down. Amu began to wonder if she was doing that just to get on her nerves.

The blond picked herself up off the floor and stared long and hard at the pinkette sitting on the couch with a large bowl of popcorn in her lap, eyes glued to the chick flick on the television. "Why can't... guys like you back? I mean... why-why does..." Utau stumbled over herself, trying to get her words straight. "Why is it that the person you like, never ever likes you back? And they even display signs of feelings towards you, yet when asked, they say 'What? I don't like you. No way!' which makes you feel like an idiot..." Her talking was replaced with a groan as she buried her face back into the carpet beneath her.

She was showing signs of sobering up.

Continuing to groan, Utau flung herself onto the couch next to Amu, where the two friends sat in their pajamas, watching _Pride and Prejudice _longingly while wishing their Mr. Darcy would come find them soon.

Amu shook her head as she watched Mr. Darcy confess his love to Elizabeth Bennet for the first time. "That kind of stuff never happens in real life." She muttered negatively. "You'd have to be absolutely gorgeous in order to get the guy. And you know those stories that has a hot guy fall in love with an ugly girl? So fake! If they intended on making the story realistic, they sure failed - and quite miserably, I will add."

Utau's violet eyes rolled over in the direction of her friend. "You sure are a ray of sunshine." She commented sarcastically before plunging her hand into the abysmal popcorn bowl.

To say she was frustrated at the moment would be an understatement. Amu was raging mad and... well, pissed off. She was used to people misjudging her, but Ikuto should have known her better than to immediately assume that she never loved him. It made her hands curl into fists and her jaw clench tightly.

Not to mention all the insults he threw her way weren't exactly making anything better.

Utau sighed deeply, leaning back and letting her body disappear into the cushions of the couch. "I think I love him." She commented ever so quietly.

Amu's ears instantly perked up, almost giving herself whiplash after turning her head so quickly. "Kukai? Y-you love Kukai?" She clarified with a goofy grin plastered on her face.

The blond nodded slowly, her face coloring. "I guess I was just in love with the_ idea_ of loving Tamaki that I didn't realize my true feelings for Kukai. Either that or I was in denial for the past seven years of knowing him." Realizing her words were starting to make sense, Utau lunged for another bottle of beer, hoping to forget her issues once more.

Amu shook her head and turned back to the TV, frowning at the sight of Mr. Darcy walking back into the rain, returning to who-knows-where. Elizabeth rejected him. How she could do such a thing, Amu would never understand.

A knock on the door made the two girls jump. Glancing at the pinkette beside her, Utau shrugged. "It's your house, you answer it."

Amu opened her mouth to protest as she gestured towards the TV, but closed it again and dragged herself off the couch and over to the door, where she stood on her tip-toes to look through the eye-hole. A wicked smirk Ikuto would be jealous of spread on her face. Turning back to look at the blond lying on the ground, she commented, "I think you should get it." before hurrying back over to the couch, waiting eagerly to watch the show that would be played out for her momentarily.

Sending her a questioning look, Utau obeyed and threw the door open, dropping her beverage on the ground at the sight of a certain male waiting impatiently.

"Ku-Kukai...?"

The brunette held up his hands as a sign of mercy so Utau wouldn't attack him just yet. Everything that was said next came out in a hurry, as if Kukai was simply dumping his thoughts right onto Amu's doorstep. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I did mean what I said to you, but I didn't mean for it to come out so harshly, but I was angry, so of course it came out the wrong wa- I hope I didn't hurt your feelings, 'cause I- look, I just can't stand hearing about this Tamaki person from your work. I don't want to be the person you come to talk to about your boy problems. I don't want you looking at any other guys but me. I want... you to be with me and no one els-"

Utau shut him up by pressing her lips against his, wrapping her thin arms tightly around his neck. They parted briefly so the blond could bid goodbye to Amu before the two lovebirds closed the door, disappearing out of sight.

Amu smiled sadly at the sight. Why couldn't she be as lucky as Utau? _Oh, right, 'cause Utau's a babe _She thought to herself bitterly. She exhaled loudly and buried herself under the blankets with only her head sticking out.

Sometimes life could be unfair. There are always days that come around that make you want to scream or cry or just rip something to shreds. Amu had to remind herself that no matter how tough life got, there'd always be a brighter day around the corner.

She was one of the unlucky people stuck waiting for that day to come.

_Ring ring_

The pinkette slowly rolled her head to look at the phone. She didn't want to get up. She had just curled up in her blanket, which was now keeping her warm.

After a few more shrills from the phone, Amu dropped off the couch and crawled over to it.

"Hellooo-"

_"Okay, I know you'll be desperately wanting to kill me after I tell you this, but I have a confession to make!" _The male voice on the other line said in a rush.

Amu slowly arched an eyebrow. "Tadase?"

_"Yeah, it's me. Oh, and guess what?"_

"What?"

_"I finally figured it out! It was orange juice that I wanted! Hah! Isn't that funny? I finally remembered!"_

"..What?"

_"Oh, never mind. I have something to tell you. Are you sitting down?"_

_'Not anymore' _Amu thought before replying, "Yeah."

_"No, you're not."_

"Yes, I am." Amu retorted, beginning to feel somewhat defensive, even though she was indeed standing. Sighing deeply, she stomped back over to the couch and sunk into the cushions "Okay, I am now. What is it, Tadase?"

He was hesitant – the exact opposite of how he was behaving at the beginning of their conversation. _"Well... I... got a phone call today and it turned out to be Ikuto, and since I didn't want either of you two to continue suffering, I told him the truth about how you left because of Kazuomi. I didn't mean to tell your secret and betray your trust! I'm sorry! But it was just getting out of hand how you were getting tangled in this web of lies. I'll never tell anyone a secret of yours ever again!"_

There was silence. Quite a deadly one, I will add. Amu sat, gazing blankly at the TV screen in front of her. "You... told him?" she repeated solemnly.

_"Please don't kill me."_

Both ends of the line were silent for a few minutes, giving Amu enough time to think everything through. Surprisingly she wasn't angry, nor did she feel betrayed. Tadase was too good of a friend to have bad intentions. Of course she still trusted him. He was only trying to help, after all.

_Knock knock_

The pinkette's heart nearly leaped out of her chest. "You didn't send him here did you?" She asked quickly, jumping out of her seat and hiding behind the couch.

_"No, of course not! But... then again he never did really say 'goodbye' to me.. he just kind of hung up. I'm sorry, Amu-chan. Good luck!"_

Amu gritted her teeth together and spoke harshly. "Tadase, don't you dare hang-" He hung up.

She was then thrown into a frenzy, arms flailing in the air and palms starting to sweat. Clutching the phone tightly to her chest, she tiptoed over to the door, jumping when the person on the other side knocked again.

If she was one to swear, she would've, saying all kinds of inappropriate words that came to mind. But she wasn't one of those people so she kept her mouth tightly shut.

Slowly unlocking the door, it didn't even occur to Amu that she was most likely not looking her best. It being girl's night, she was clothed in pajamas and her hair in pig tails.

Her breath hitched in her throat once seeing Ikuto standing there, looking exceptionally good looking wearing a leather jacket.

She quickly composed herself and glanced over her shoulder, muttering, 'how cliché' under her breath before looking back over at the man whose height towered over her own.

They both remained uncomfortably silent while simply staring at each other, her honey-colored eyes mixing with his sapphire ones.

Finally, she spoke. "What do you want?" She asked while chewing on her bottom lip. She almost cringed once hearing how cold her voice sounded.

"I uh..." He began. It was evident that he hadn't planned out his speech beforehand. That was something Amu always recommended one to do.

"Tadase told me.. the truth about what happened that day at the hospital." Ikuto stated, his hands finding their way to the pockets of his jacket. "And I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for how badly I reacted and how I treated you."

Amu slowly nodded along with what he said, keeping quiet.

"And.. I was hoping you and Yoru could come back to Tokyo with me."

Staring down at her slippers, Amu thought that idea through.

He apologized for how he had been acting towards her and confessed that he still wanted to be a part of her life. But... Amu got an idea.

"No." She replied without hesitation, catching Ikuto by surprise.

"'No'?" He repeated, confused.

Amu nodded once, pursing her lips together. "Yoru and I will move back in with you _only _if you prove to me that you're sorry for all the things you said. Deal?" She stuck her hand out for him to shake.

Ikuto was taken aback. Prove he was sorry? Words apparently wouldn't make even the slightest difference. He slowly removed his hand from his pocket and wrapped his long, pale fingers around hers. "...Deal..."

Amu gave him a small smile. "You have until my birthday."

The blue-haired male quickly did the math, eyes widening at how few time he had. "That's in three days." He pointed out.

The pinkette released his hand and stepped further inside her house, keeping one hand on the door. Grinning cheekily at him, she replied with a carefree, 'then I guess you'd better start planning!' before closing the door on him, leaning against it as she breathed deeply, ignoring her pounding heart.

She couldn't help but smirk as she waltzed back over to the couch. Sure, she felt heartless, but it'd be entertaining to see Ikuto put some effort into making their new-found relationship work.

"Let the fun begin, Tsukiyomi Ikuto."


	18. Something About Love

**FINAL CHAPTER. THIS IS IT! Sniffle... it's so tragic.  
**  
**Chapter 18: Something About Love**

Coming up with a way to win Amu back was harder than Ikuto imagined it to be.

He had to do something personal, something that she would completely adore, and not the typical romantic-movie thing – a candle light dinner or a walk on the beach.

He had always hated those tacky moments in the romantic movies Amu always made him watch with her. The two characters in the movie would take a spontaneous stroll along the beach with a _perfect _sunset in the background. As if something like that could happen without it being planned ahead of time.

Turning his thoughts back to the issue involving Amu, Ikuto raked a hand through his hair as he leaned back in his chair, deciding to pass time by glaring at Kazuomi, who was reading a newspaper across the room.

It was because of _him _that Ikuto found himself in this situation now. They hadn't spoken a word ever since he got back from Seiyo a couple days earlier.

Feeling someone's eyes on him, Kazuomi looked up from his paper, answering Ikuto's cold look with a glare of his own. Everyone else in the recording studio felt the temperature drop drastically, but had to continue working anyway, despite the awkward atmosphere.

Ikuto didn't really understand why he had to be in the recording studio, anyway. Today was Amu's birthday after all and he had to think of something to do for her, and quick. Nonetheless, he remained sitting in the swivel chair next to people fiddling around with the buttons and switches in front of them.  
Once getting bored with the glaring contest, Kazuomi resumed reading his paper. Ikuto scoffed quietly before spinning around in his chair to gaze out the window, hoping to occupy his thoughts.

Just outside, crunchy leaves swirled around in the cool breeze and spread across the busy streets of Tokyo. It was almost October yet everyone was still wearing their summer clothes, despite the occasional weirdo who got cold easily so they walked around all year long wearing a parka. There was always someone like that.

The thought made Ikuto want to smile, but he didn't, because he was pretty sure that his step-dad was watching him again, and Ikuto wanted to get the point across that he was very angry with Kazuomi.

But thinking of the parka-person reminded him that everyone was different. Even the littlest things made up who you are. No one can be you better than you can. There's someone out there in the world that was created just for you, and even if you two are complete opposites and couldn't be anymore different, you two are meant to be.

Ikuto remembered when he went to the amusement park with Amu for the first time, and she had told him that she thought of her life as a story. That a greater person up above had specifically thought of a plot and the characters just for her life. Her story was already carefully created, but what was written on the pages ahead of her remained a mystery for now.

Turning back to resume glaring at his step-dad, the newspaper Kazuomi was reading caught Ikuto's attention. On the front page, there was an advertisement.

Sapphire eyes widening, he lunged from his seat and ripped the paper out of the older man's hands. His eyes didn't deceive him, the front page stated that the amusement park was finally opening for the season. _The _amusement park. The one that held so many memories for Ikuto.

That's when the idea came to him. He nearly smacked himself for being so blind. That's where he would take her: The amusement park, of course.

Ikuto reluctantly handed the paper back to Kazuomi and threw his coat on once noticing the time.

Before he managed to slip out of the studio, Kazuomi called after him.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?"

The sapphire-eyed male slowly turned around to look at the wrinkly-faced, ancient being. "To pick my son up from school." He replied with an edge to his voice. He was about to leave, but stopped once again to look at Kazuomi, sincerely.

"...I hope you know what you did to interfere with my life, as well as Amu's, was wrong. ...But... I'm going to forgive you. It may take some time... but I'm definitely going to, because I believe that everyone deserves a second chance."

Ikuto threw open the door, hurrying out of the building and to his car.

He wasn't as mad at Kazuomi as he was before. When he had gotten back from Seiyo just days ago, he set out for his step-dad almost instantly, feeling deadly.

Kazuomi was no longer acting all high-and-mighty, but rather timid and silent whenever Ikuto was around, knowing that the fate of the wealthy business was in Ikuto's hands.

Turning up the volume on the radio, Ikuto slid on his shades and turned down the street.  
_**  
**_He had to admit, he didn't normally favor chick songs, but the one that was just playing was pretty adorable. _****_

Slowing to a stop in the parking lot at Yoru's school, Ikuto climbed out of the car and wandered his way over to the playground, where Yoru was sitting on one of the swings.

The young boy instantly lit up once seeing his dad. He jumped off of the swing and ran over to Ikuto, throwing his arms around him.

Ikuto lifted him up and held his school bag in his other hand. "How was school?"

Yoru thought for a moment, frowning. "It was fine. A boy got a pea stuck up his nose and he had to go to the doctor's office." He stated casually. "It serves him right, 'cause he stole that pea from my lunch."

The story made Ikuto laugh. Kids did the strangest things. He continued walking in silence, Yoru leaning his tired head on his dad's shoulder, breathing softly.

"You and mom love each other, right?" He asked quietly.

Ikuto stopped in the middle of the parking lot, still carrying the boy. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you never kiss her." Yoru replied. "All the kids at my school have parents that hug and kiss, and they sometimes even say that they love each other. You must have loved her at one point, 'cause you two had me!"

Opening the door of the car, Yoru climbed into his seat and sluggishly buckled up while Ikuto did the same.

"Well.. things are complicated right now." Ikuto finally replied once they started driving. "And how do you know we had you because we loved each other? Do you already know where babies come from?"

Yoru nodded eagerly, proud to display his knowledge. "Of course I do! When two people are madly in love, an angel will come knocking on their door. He'll then hold out his hands, showing the mom a blue bean and a pink bean. I think then he asks the mom to choose a color, and once she does, she swallows the bean and a baby grows inside her! It's quite simple, really."

The story made Ikuto bit down on his lower lip to hide a smile. "Did mommy tell you that?" He questioned, not surprised that she would come up with such a tale. It was just like her to say something like that.

"Do you love her?" Yoru repeated.

There was silence once again. It was bit of an odd question, especially coming from a five year old. Did he love her? Well, they had been through everything together. And when he said everything, he meant everything. He also knew he wouldn't be able to survive without her in his life. She was the one who saved him from his life of misery.

"...Yeah." Ikuto said, softly. "Yeah, I do."

The boy in the backseat grinned, silently bouncing up and down in excitement. So he was like all the other children, after all. His parents _did _love each other.

"Alright," Ikuto announced, stopping the car, "we're here."

Lunging out the door, Yoru hurried through the apartment building with Ikuto right behind. Almost every day they raced up the stairs through their building, just for fun. Ikuto always made sure to go just a little slower than Yoru, though, so he'd win.

Pushing the door open, Yoru almost did a face-plant before spinning around and dropping his bag on the floor. "I win!" He exclaimed, snickering under his breath.

His golden eyes then scanned the room for any sign of a certain individual, whom he found sitting cross-legged on the couch, reading a novel.

"Mom!" He hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head. "Happy birthday!"

Surprised, Amu put her book down and hugged him back, smiling as she thanked him before he ran off and disappeared into his room, leaving her alone with Ikuto.

The pinkette picked her book up again, trying to resume reading, but failed miserably when Ikuto knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his.

"Happy birthday."

She looked up from her lap, blushing as they made eye-contact. "Th-thank you."

Truth be told, neither one of them wanted to look away. They found each other's eyes so captivating, it was almost impossible to not get lost in them.

"You should get ready. We're going out tonight."

oOoOoOo

Blind-folded, she stood silently with the cool breeze blowing through her hair, making her pull her jacket tighter around her petite frame.

A warm hand grasped onto hers, leading her a few steps further ahead, into the dark abyss. She could only trust that he wasn't leading her into a place of certain death.

The only thing she could identify without her eyesight, was the smell of popcorn and artificial flavoring the wafted under her nose.

"C-can I take this off now?" Amu asked, pointing at the blindfold across her eyes.

Ikuto stopped walking and let go of her hands. Slowly, he untied the material and let it drop from her eyes, giving her a view of the colorful lights and roller coasters.

She gaped at the sight, eyes widening once realizing where they were. Amu whipped around to look at Ikuto with a smile on her face. "No way."

"Shall we?" Ikuto offered, gesturing to the rides ahead of them.

Not having to respond, the pinkette charged into the empty theme park, not noticing the tiny, brown paper bag Ikuto was holding.

That was for later. Preferably on the teacup ride.

He had called in ahead of time, specifically asking for the park to remain open for an hour or two after closing time, just for them. The workers would have to stay, though, to operate the rides, but they'd definitely get paid.

Ikuto left the brown bag with the ferris wheel operator and followed Amu through the amusement park.

_Meanwhile..._

"I told you, we're lost!" Utau huffed angrily, folding her arms across her chest. The group stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and looked around.

Nagihiko frowned, snatching the map out of Kukai's clutches. "Well, no duh, we're lost. Kukai had the flippin' map upside down." He replied, turning the map around.

Rima rolled her eyes as she shook her head. Typical Kukai move.

Yoru, who was currently getting a piggy-back ride from Kukai, also shook his head. "I should've known you'd mess up the plan." He whispered to his 'uncle'.

The brunette glared over his shoulder at the little boy. "_You _were the one that kept telling me which street to turn on, so it's technically _your _fault."

"Kukai, he's five." Rima muttered.

"So what? He lives here, I don't!"

"You're the adult who should know ...HOW TO READ MAPS!"

"WELL, MAYBE-

"I CAN'T BELIE-

"I'm hungr-"

"I WOULD NEVER HAVE CO-

"GUYS, SHUT UP!" Rima yelled.

All went dead quiet and turned to look at the blond who was usually the quiet one of the group.

She ripped the map out of Nagihiko's hands and shoved it back at Kukai. "This is an important night for Amu! We promised Ikuto that we would all be there to surprise her and congratulate her after they get off of the stupid teacup ride. So read the damn map and get us to the freakin' amusement park!"

Kukai stared wide-eyed at the petite blond as she huffed away, dragging Nagihiko behind her. Glancing over at the young boy attached to his back, he realized that he wasn't the only one Rima terrified.

"Okay... to the carnival...!" The brunette stated slowly, trying to sound enthusiastic.

Utau snickered under her breath before latching onto her boyfriend's arm and kissing his cheek. "I'm so excited for them."

Kukai grinned back at her. "Me too. I mean, it's about time!"

Meanwhile

Amu sighed in content while leaning her head back against the seat of the teacup she was sitting in. Her feet were aching, her legs felt like rubber, and her eyes were closing on her, but there was still a smile on her face.

Inhaling the cool, night breeze, she opened her eyes again and stared out at the colorful light display surrounding her. The amusement park at night was always one of the best places to go to relax or clear your head.

Looking across from her was Ikuto, who was also staring out at the scenery.

The pinkette blushed once they made eye-contact and looked down at her hands folded in her lap, just now noticing the small brown bag sitting beside Ikuto.

Realizing she had spotted the item, he knew it was now or never.

He took a deep breath before taking the plunge.

"...I know I've said and done things to you that don't deserve to be forgiven... and I'm sorry for not being there for you during those five, hard years you spent alone." Ikuto began slowly. "I have trust issues, I'm gullible, stubborn and... stupid... for forgetting about you after the surgery. But I also know that I love you and Yoru more than anything in my life and I would do anything to make everything right once again."

He then fumbled through the bag beside him, pulling out a small box that Amu only caught a glimpse of before Ikuto covered it with his hands.

"I know we've been through every high and low together, things more drastic than any normal couple could ever imagine going through – From disapproving relatives to memory loss. I believe that together, we just happen to be the perfect two." He stated honestly, finally uncovering what was in his hands, and opening the box to reveal a diamond ring. "Hinamori Amu, will... you marry me?"

If she wasn't crying already, Amu certainly was now. When she had told him to prove his apology to her, she hadn't expected anything like this. It surprised her in the best way possible.

Looking up at the sky to clear her blurry vision, Amu sniffled and nodded, squeaking out a small 'yes'.

"PARTY IT UP!" Kukai yelled, emerging from behind a nearby building with Yoru still clinging to his back.

"That.. was so beautiful..." Utau sniffled, sharing a box of tissues with Rima as the two wiped their eyes.

Yoru struggled and squirmed until he manged to crawl his way down to the asphalt and hop over to the pink teacup, where his parents were just climbing out of.

He tugged on Ikuto's sleeve to make him bend over so he could whisper in his ear. "You love her, right? Prove it." Yoru stated with a mischievous smirk.

"Challenge accepted." Ikuto stood up straight once again, he too, smirking.

His warm hand grasped onto Amu's, pulling her close to him. Finally, he could kiss her. Now he could hold her in his arms whenever he wanted to. Leaning his forehead against hers, he closed his eyes and pressed his lips against hers, securely wrapping his arms around her figure.

"Happy birthday, Amu."

"It's about time..." Yoru huffed before sharing a smile with Kukai.

Rima blushed and looked down at her shoes, sneaking a look at Nagihiko, who smiled at his girlfriend before pulling her into a hug, resting his chin on the top of her head.

There was something about love that breaks your heart, yet sets you free.

And finally, things were back to the way they were... before the storm.

_**THE END**_

**Wow, guys. I'm so sorry that this took forever to complete, and that there's not many lovey dovey scenes, but I guess it's more of a drama. Oh, and I think this might be my last shugo chara story! If I ever do get hooked back on this anime, then I'll be sure to write another romantic comedy, as those are the stories I prefer. I love you soo soo much and you are an amazing person who deserves nothing but the best!**

If you ever need to talk, I'm here!

Love, Kate

p.s. There might be a slight chance of a short epilogue in the future. 


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